ACE Laboratories and Abdallah Consulting have announced the launch of VericarbSM, an independent certification program designed to verify that materials produced and marketed as recovered carbon black (rCB) meet the program’s defined criteria for rCB.
Recovered carbon black – produced from end-of-life tires through pyrolysis – has emerged as a key sustainable alternative to virgin carbon black in rubber and polymer applications. But as a newer market, it has lacked the standardization and independent verification that consumers, compounders and investors rely on in established material supply chains. VericarbSM was created to close that gap.
Certification under the VericarbSM program includes independent material characterization and rubber performance data, giving all stakeholders a consistent, credible basis for evaluating rCB products.
For producers, VericarbSM is designed to support faster product development and market entry. Certification provides independent performance data in the customer’s language, links material specifications to real-world performance and can support the approval process with prospective buyers.
For rCB users, the program provides additional information on material performance and supplier capabilities. Compounders and manufacturers can spend less time evaluating unfamiliar materials, while assessing the potential for first-time material approval and establishing QA requirements before supply begins.
“The rCB market has enormous potential, but growth has been held back by uncertainty about material quality and consistency,” said Erick Sharp, CEO of ACE Laboratories. “VericarbSM gives producers a way to prove their product and gives buyers the independent data they need to say yes.”
“One key reason for the delayed growth of recovered carbon black is lack of product performance information in the customer’s language,” said Dave Abdallah, the founder of Abdallah Consulting. “ASTM standards are critical; in fact, most testing done in the process follows ASTM methods. But customers relate to a product better when its performance is shown in applications relevant to them. VericarbSM solves the language issue by showing verified rCB in terms of rubber performance while simultaneously adding credibility via third-party analysis and reporting.”
In related news, Continental invests in pyrolysis technology for efficient rubber recycling
