Epsilon Carbon, a coal tar derivatives firm, has invested Rs 900 crore in Bellary to construct an integrated carbon black facility with a total capacity of 3,00,000 tonnes per year. The Mumbai-based firm plans to invest in two stages, with the first phase expected to be operational by Q3 of FY 21 at a cost of Rs 425 crores.
The company is lead by Vikram Handa, son-in-law of Sajjan Jindal, the chairman and managing director of JSW Group.
Carbon black is an additive used in the making of rubber products like tyres, colouring pigment inks and also as electric conducive agents for high-tech devices. Epsilon Carbon currently operates a 220,000 tpa coal tar distillation facility that caters to 40% of the pitch demand in the aluminum industry, with the new carbon black facility, the company will cater to the tyre, tubes and other rubber-based auto parts segments.
“We are looking at more rubber-based auto parts and not planning to venture into inks and toners in the phase 1 development,” Said Handa
“All other carbon black manufacturers burn oil as a fuel, but we will be using waste gas from JSW Steel and our existing coal tar derivative plants as a fuel in our new carbon black units,” Handa added.
Covid-19 outbreak kept many chemical industries including carbon black companies in jitters as they were dependent on China for their raw material. However, Epsilon is completely backward integrated and is positive about it’s new business growth.
