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Carbon Black World 2025: Phibro rCB's Vision for a Circular Economy

  • Writer: Tyler Zemantic
    Tyler Zemantic
  • Jun 3
  • 2 min read

Updated: Jun 15

 attendees seated at carbon black world 2025 conference in forth worth texas during phibro rcb presentation on sustainable carbon black solutions

Fort Worth, TX – May 12, 2025 — At Carbon Black World 2025, Phibro rCB presented a compelling roadmap for transforming North America's tire waste crisis into a sustainable resource solution. Led by Managing Partner Fabrizio Zichichi, the presentation titled “The Challenging Road to Long-Term Supply of Sustainable Carbon Black to Meet Growing Demand” outlined how recovered carbon black (rCB) and sustainable furnace carbon black (sFCB) can play a vital role in closing the circularity gap in the tire and carbon black industries.



A Growing Demand—and a Growing Opportunity

Global and North American markets are seeing a rapid rise in carbon black demand. By 2028, North America alone is projected to need nearly 190,000 additional metric tons. Compounding this is the U.S. carbon black trade deficit, which is set to exceed 51,000 metric tons in 2024. These numbers signal a critical need for domestic, sustainable alternatives.


Phibro rCB offers a scalable, circular solution: build ten new rCB plants, each with the capacity to produce 30,000 metric tons of recovered material. The resulting output—combined with tire pyrolysis oil (rTPO) used in sFCB—would cover a significant share of the forecasted demand.



Making Mississippi a Model

Phibro rCB’s Natchez, Mississippi facility is already leading by example. Built on the foundation of the former Delta Energy Group site, the plant is fully operational with four reactor lines and two finishing lines. With ISO 9001 certification and ISCC PLUS registration, the facility processes over 20 short tons of tire chips daily, producing approximately:


  • 35% recovered carbon black (rCB)

  • 53% tire pyrolysis oil (rTPO)

  • 5% recovered hydrocarbon gas (rH)

  • 10% other materials


Mississippi generates an estimated 3 million end-of-life tires annually, making it a strategic supply base for expanded operations. The Natchez site has room to grow—with infrastructure in place to support five additional rCB plants on its current 34.6-acre footprint.



Building Toward the First Fully Circular Tire Market

Phibro rCB’s long-term goal is ambitious: help the United States become the first fully circular ELT (end-of-life tire) market in the world. To achieve this, the plan includes:


  • Building five new rCB plants in Natchez to handle 17.7 million ELTs

  • Sourcing additional ELTs from Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Alabama (combined total: 19.6 million ELTs)

  • Establishing another five rCB plants in neighboring states like Texas, Oklahoma, Georgia, and Florida, which together contribute 61 million ELTs annually


Combined, these plants would yield over 200,000 metric tons of circular material, positioning the U.S. not just as a consumer—but as a global leader in carbon black sustainability.



Infrastructure That Connects It All

Strategic rail access is a cornerstone of this growth. Phibro rCB’s Natchez facility connects to over 4.2 million miles of the North American rail system, with direct service from the Natchez Railway and Class I connection via Canadian National (CN) in Brookhaven, MS. This infrastructure ensures efficient, scalable logistics for raw material intake and product distribution across the country.



Conclusion: Scaling Innovation for a Sustainable Future

Phibro rCB’s presentation at Carbon Black World 2025 highlights a powerful, data-driven vision—one that not only addresses the tire waste crisis but reimagines it as a circular opportunity. Through innovation, infrastructure, and regional collaboration, Phibro rCB is forging a path to a cleaner, more sustainable carbon black industry.


Download and view the full presentation:


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