Ahead of Carbon Black World 2026 we spoke to Martin Von Wolfersdorff, Principal Advisor at Wolfersdorff Consulting.
Q1. Your talk at Carbon Black World 2026 will dive into “Can Alternative Carbons Replace Carbon Black?” A) Why do you think it’s important for others in the industry to hear this message? B) What are some of the key take-aways?
Yes, it actually is a rhetorical question, because both in Asia and also in the western world, there is an increasing number of rubber industry collaborations with alternative carbons, including recovered Carbon Black, methane blacks and sustainable versions of furnace carbon blacks as well as blends of these materials.
I think that first it is important to understand that these are replacements for carbon black, they are not carbon black themselves.
That will lead us into research how well and to which percentage these materials can replace carbon black, and also why we would be motivated to replace carbon black. As this conference is focusing on carbon black (we already have a specialised Smithers conference for rCB in Asia), I think it is important to stay close to the topic of carbon black.
Q2. What are the main challenges that the industry is facing and how do you think that this conference can address them?
Apart from the global uncertainty, I see the eastern and western economies facing very different challenges. The solution for both challenges could be complementary and similar. In Asia, I still see growth in the rubber and carbon black industries. But differentiation is low and price focus is high. In the western world, the rubber and carbon black industries are shrinking, highly segmented, specialised and regulated. Because this conference travels around the world, from Asia to Europe to the USA, it brings together industry colleagues that could elaborate solutions to our industry challenges.
Q3. What do you think will be some of the most interesting advancements in materials or processing in the near future?
After 13 years in the carbon black industry and working in-depth alternative carbons, I believe that the furnace process will stay in the centre of carbon black production technology. It’s greenification through alternative and sustainable CBO feedstocks and through bolt-on technologies for carbon capture and conversion will provide ample opportunities for innovation.
Q4. What are you most looking forward to hearing and/or seeing at Carbon Black World 2026?
I always like to watch the informative and quantitative carbon black industry updates from my colleague Paul Ita at Notch Consulting, who is a regular contributor to the conference. And I am very much looking forward to listening to Chinese and Asian presentations to learn about their news and industry approach.
