Evonik (Essen, Germany) and Wynca (Hangzhou, China) recently broke ground on a new fumed silica plant in the Zhenjiang New Material Industry Park in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province, China. This groundbreaking represents the latest step in the partnership between the two companies. In 2018, they formed a joint venture, Wynca - Evonik Wynca (Zhenjiang) Silicon Material Co., Ltd., to produce a line of fumed silica products dubbed Aerosil.

The groundbreaking ceremony on December 10 was attended by business partners, representatives from local government, and members of the media. The new Aerosil-producing plant is scheduled to become operational in 2021 with a projected annual output of 9,000 metric tons (9920.8 t).

“As a kid of Smart Materials, silica belongs to one of the four strategic growth engines identified by Evonik because of its rapid market growth and extensive applications,” says Andreas Fischer, board member of Evonik Resource Efficiency GmbH. “As our first fumed silica plant in China, the new plant in Zhenjiang will further improve the global production network of Aerosil and ensure a more solid supply for Chinese customers.”

The joint venture enables Evonik to share its advanced product technology with the local silicone industry value chain formed by Wynca, which in turn gets to utilize the hydrochloric acid byproduct produced by the fumed silica plant as a raw material for its Wynca Zhenjiang Site. The plant will also use chlorosilanes from Wynca, thereby reinforcing an integrated production loop between the two sides.

“As leaders in different industries, Evonik and Wynca have a lot in common and are highly complementary in strategic concepts,” says Wynca Group Chairman Jianhua Wu. “Forming a high-end fumed silica project in Zhenjiang New Material Park through this strong alliance is in line with the business strategies of both sides.”

Source: Evonik, www.corporate.evonik.com/en.