Standardization News

ASTM International’s committee on recovered carbon black (D36), formed in 2017, has approved its first standard. The new standard (D8178) defines important terms in the recovered carbon black (rCB) industry.

ASTM International member Bill Cole notes that recovered carbon black is a relatively new, sustainable raw material product, produced by a new and growing industry, for use in rubber, plastics, and pigment applications.

“At this early stage, the industry needs a set of common terminology to effectively communicate to product users and to each other,” says Cole, director of product management at Delta-Energy Group. “Unique industry terms are defined in the new standard. As new standards are developed for recovered carbon black, we will be adding new terms to the terminology standard.”

According to Cole, rCB products, recently developed by several manufacturers are distinct from “char” products.  Even though both product types are derived from thermal degradation of rubber compounds, typically sourced from tires, their performances in rubber applications significantly differ between the two.

“Having common terms provides a strong basis from which to clearly distinguish the value of rCB from char products. It also allows us to discuss performance within proposed applications,” says Cole. “Manufacturers of rCB will find the nomenclature and new methods quite useful when communicating product performance.” 

In addition to defining terms, the new standard includes an appendix of ASTM International standards developed by other committees that are currently recognized as available for use in the rCB industry. This includes the carbon black committee, formed in 1956.

Read more on the formation of the rCB committee in Standardization News. 

ASTM welcomes participation in the development of its standards. Become a member at www.astm.org/JOIN. The next meeting of ASTM International committee on recovered carbon black is June 5-6 in Denver, Colorado, USA.

To purchase standards, contact ASTM International customer relations (tel +1.877.909.ASTM; sales@astm.org).