Conductive Carbon Black
Furnace black is a material produced by the incomplete combustion or thermal decomposition of hydrocarbon fuels such as natural gas, oil, and coal. It is composed of mostly elemental carbon along with small amounts of hydrogen, oxygen, sulfur and nitrogen. Furnace black exists as a fine powder that is black in color. It is an amorphous material that has a high surface-area-to-volume ratio, exhibiting properties of both metals and non-metals.
Production and Chemistry of Conductive Carbon Black
Furnace black is commercially produced in a reactor by the pyrolysis (thermal decomposition) of hydrocarbon feeds in temperatures usually ranging from 1300 to 1600°C. The most common production method is the furnace process, where the hydrocarbon feed is introduced into a high temperature furnace along with hot combustion gases. The feed is thermally decomposed in the furnace and carbon particles are formed which aggregate and grow to the desired size before being cooled and transported out of the furnace.
The properties of Conductive Carbon Black depend on the production process and conditions used. The hydrocarbon feed, furnace operating temperature, residence time within the furnace, and furnace cooling conditions can all affect the resulting particle size, structure, surface area and other qualities of the furnace black. With the furnace process, changes to these production variables allow manufacturers to tune the properties of furnace black for specific applications.
Uses and Applications of Furnace black
By far, the largest application and for furnace black is in the reinforcement of rubber products like automobile tires. Over 90% of furnace black production is devoted to the tire industry. Furnace black enhances the strength and wear characteristics of rubber. Its high surface area and bonding abilities improve processability and resistance to abrasion and cuts in tires.
Beyond tires, furnace black has important uses in other rubber goods due to its reinforcement abilities. Hoses, belts, gaskets, bushings and seals all utilize furnace black to achieve enhanced mechanical properties. It is also employed as a color pigment in inks, plastics,paints and coatings. Furnace black can impart a black color while also improving weathering resistance, increasing opacity and facilitating conductivity in applications.
In materials like plastic pipes and geomembranes, furnace black helps resist UV damage from sun exposure. It aids in static charge dissipation and improves conductivity for applications in electronics. Furnace black batteranodes enhance conductivity and capacity. Activated forms of furnace black with greater porosity have found use as filtration media and for gas adsorption in applications ranging from air filters to water purification.
Specialized forms of Furnace black
Beyond regular furnace-produced furnace black, there exist some specialized furnace black varieties tailored for specific requirements:
- Acetylene Black is produced from the thermal decomposition of acetylene and has an extremely high electrical conductivity. It finds application in batteries, fuel cells and conductive applications.
- Lamp Black is produced by incomplete combustion of oils in a limited supply of air. It has larger particle sizes than furnace black and was historically used as a pigment.
- Thermal Black is the highest purity form produced at very high temperatures without a hydrocarbon feedstock. It has little hydrogen or volatile matter content.
- Sacrificial Furnace black protects against UV degradation in plastics. It efficiently blocks UV rays as it degrades, extending the lifetime of the polymer.
- Pellets Furnace black is produced as hardened pellets or granules rather than a powder for easy handling and dispensing in applications like in rotomolding.
With their tailored properties and performance advantages, these specialized furnace blacks have enabled new enhancements and solutions across various industries. Significant research remains ongoing to develop carbon materials with ever greater capabilities.
Furnace black is a commercially vital industrial material produced by the pyrolysis of hydrocarbons. Nearly 90% of its multi-million-ton production serves the reinforcement of tires due to its strengthening effects on rubber compounds. Beyond tires, furnace black enhances mechanical properties, weatherability, opacity and conductivity in numerous rubber goods, plastics, coatings, batteries and other applications. Continued tuning of its production technologies and development of specialized forms widens the scope for furnace black to provide solutions across various industrial sectors into the future.
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