PCBL Chemical is positioning itself for significant growth through strategic expansions and capacity additions across multiple business segments, capitalising on emerging global chemical market opportunities. 

The company is making substantial investments in its manufacturing capabilities, with a notable recent development being the allocation of 116 acres of land in Andhra Pradesh’s Naidupeta region.
This new site represents the company’s sixth manufacturing location, which can house roughly 400,000-450,000 metric tonnes per annum (MTPA) of carbon black capacity. It is strategically positioned near major ports like Kattupalli and Krishnapatnam, enabling efficient logistics and cost-effective goods movement. 
“The first phase of this expansion will involve establishing a 150,000  MTPA carbon black plant, with an estimated investment of approximately INR 9.5-9.6 billion and a projected timeline of 2-2.5 years,” said Raj Gupta – Chief Financial Officer – PCBL Chemical Limited.

Current manufacturing capacity has already been expanded, with the company recently commissioning a specialty line of 20,000 MTPA in Mundra, bringing its total capacity to 790,000 MTPA. The company is simultaneously pursuing multiple expansion tracks, including a brownfield expansion of 30,000 tonnes in Tamil Nadu and a second phase expansion of 60,000 tonnes, accompanied by a 12 MW green power project.

In the speciality chemicals domain, PCBL is making significant strides. The company has launched ECOZENTM6000, a new product grade based on recycled materials, demonstrating its commitment to sustainability. 
The company has also been certified with International Sustainability and Carbon Plus (ISCC) certification, underscoring its dedication to responsible production and circular economy principles.

The company is particularly bullish about its export markets, especially in Europe and North America. Despite current geopolitical challenges stemming from restrictions on Russian Carbon Black exports, PCBL sees this as an opportunity to expand its market presence. The company has increased its international sales volumes, with western market contributions rising from 7-8 percent historically to approximately 35 percent currently.

The specialty Carbon Black segment shows promising growth, with projected full-year sales volume expected to reach 63,000-64,000 tonnes, compared to 57,000 tonnes last year. “Management anticipates gradual margin improvements in this segment over the next 2-4 years as they move up the value chain,” said Gupta.

A particularly exciting development is the company’s nano-silica project. PCBL is currently establishing a pilot plant for sampling, with plans to develop a 2,000-tonne commercial facility. “Now, this 2,000 tons, based on our back of the envelope calculation, should give us somewhere around INR1,700-1,800 crores kind of a top line and roughly about INR800-900 crores kind of EBITDA,” said Gupta.

Japanese speciality chemicals manufacturer Zeon Corporation and US-based biotechnology firm Visolis Inc. announced plans to begin preparatory steps towards constructing a commercial-scale production facility for bio-based isoprene and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

The companies are evaluating multiple potential sites for the new facility, which will use Visolis’ proprietary fermentation and downstream processing technology. The announcement follows a successful joint feasibility study that confirmed the platform’s competitive advantage for commercial-scale production.

“Visolis has proven to be a valuable innovation partner, and we are excited to take this important next step together,” said Tetsuya TOYOSHIMA, President and CEO of Zeon. “Bio‐based isoprene and SAF are key to our long‐term vision for sustainable growth, and this project reflects our commitment to delivering impactful technologies in collaboration with leading startups."

According to the companies, the next phase of planning activities will include detailed engineering, site assessment, permitting, and stakeholder engagement.

The initiative forms part of Zeon’s broader sustainability objectives and decarbonisation strategy while advancing Visolis’ mission to commercialise its technology.

The two companies have collaborated for several years to develop and scale next-generation, bio-based materials.

Industry analysts note that bio-based alternatives for chemical production and aviation fuel have gained significant attention as companies across various sectors seek to reduce their carbon footprint.

Both companies indicated that further updates will be provided as the project advances.

India’s Rubber Board has launched a competition seeking innovative solutions to automate rubber tapping, offering financial assistance of INR one million to develop the most promising ideas.

The initiative comes amid a growing shortage of skilled tappers, leaving numerous plantations across India’s rubber-growing regions untapped.

Interested parties can submit their proposals in sealed envelopes to the Assistant Secretary at the Rubber Research Institute of India in Kottayam before 5 May. A panel of experts from the rubber sector will evaluate the submissions and financial assistance will be awarded to selected projects.

Kraton Corporation, a leading global producer of speciality polymers and high-value biobased products derived from by-products of pine wood pulping, has received an International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) PLUS certification for its manufacturing facility in Niort, France.

Kraton can now supply 100 percent ISCC PLUS-certified AMS and AMS Phenolics resins using a mass balance attribution approach thanks to the certification. Kraton's dedication to promoting the biobased and circular economy is further demonstrated by the Niort facility's accreditation. Kraton is committed to lowering carbon emissions and accelerating the shift to a more sustainable future by empowering clients to include more environmentally friendly products into their supply chains.

An independent multi-stakeholder project, the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) is a leading certification method that guarantees accurate mass-balancing bookkeeping and reporting of renewable and recycled materials across the supply chain.

Lana Culbert, Kraton Pine Chemicals VP of Marketing, said, “Our SYLVARES™ and SYLVATRAXX™ brands feature a range of high-performance AMS and AMS Phenolics resins used in speciality adhesives and tyre applications. Our ISCC PLUS journey began in 2021 with the certification of our Sandarne, Sweden facility. Earning this certification for our Niort plant marks a significant milestone, further expanding our portfolio of sustainable solutions.”

Sumitomo Rubber Industries, Ltd. has said that it has clarified the process of rubber breakdown, a crucial element that affects tyre longevity, through joint research with Professor Gert Heinrich at Dresden University of Technology (Saxony State, Germany).

In a special session called ‘Combining Physics, Chemistry & Engineering of Rubber: A Symposium in Honor of Charles Goodyear Medalist Gert Heinrich’, which was held in honour of the Professor's medal-winning achievement, the findings were presented in an invited talk at the American Chemical Society, Rubber division, ACS 2025 Spring Technical Meeting held in Orlando, Florida, US, on 6 and 7 March. Professor Heinrich is a member of the Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden, which took part in the collaborative effort.

Tyre durability is determined by cracking processes, which result in the development of cracks and rips in a rubber substance. The endurance of rubber was previously mostly assessed using tearing tests, but there were still numerous unanswered concerns regarding the microscale structural alterations at the crack tip. This effort identified a factor that determines the start and propagation of cracks in rubber by analysing the force applied to a fracture tip using a simulation approach. In rubber, a crack tip undergoes dilatation deformation to create voids, or microvoids within the item. The fracture gets worse as the voids expand and come together. It was also discovered that the tension focused on the fracture tip is lessened when voids emerge.