Major Strategic Cooperation：Kastar Joins Hands with Academician EVOSIL Team of Beijing University of Chemical Technology to Develop Negative-Carbon Bio-Based Materials

OVERVIEW

Recently, Shanghai Kastar Chemical Co., Ltd. and Anhui Evolution Silicon Nanomaterials Technology Co., Ltd. officially established a deep strategic partnership. The two parties will integrate alumni resources, cutting-edge scientific research capabilities, and green new materials production capacity to jointly develop the full industry chain of carbon-negative bio-based white carbon black (precipitated silica), driving green and low-carbon transformation across the rubber, coatings, and personal care industries.01 Strong University-Enterprise Ties Lay the Foundation for Cooperation

1  University-Enterprise Bond

This strategic partnership is deeply rooted in academic connections: Mr. He Jianquan, General Manager of Kastar, is an alumnus of Beijing University of Chemical Technology (BUCT), and Evolution Silicon is a key spin-off enterprise incubated by BUCT's industry-university-research programs. Leveraging the university's deep expertise in materials science, the two sides — united by their alumni bond — have built a two-way channel connecting research commercialization and market adoption, achieving complementary resources and mutual benefits.

2 R&D Strength

Evolution Silicon was established in 2018 based on the commercialization of technological achievements from Beijing University of Chemical Technology. Its core R&D team is led by the team of Academician Zhang Liqun from the Chinese Academy of Engineering. As the first academician in the field of rubber from the Chinese Academy of Engineering and a leading figure in the international rubber industry, Academician Zhang Liqun and his team has been deeply engaged in this field for over a decade, having filed more than 30 patent applications and been granted 20 patents.

3 Industry Leadership

• China's first enterprise to produce bio-based white carbon black using bio-based and carbon capture technologies.

•  Industry group standard setter for bio-based silica for rubber applications.

• The first company in China with independent intellectual property rights for a complete carbonation-based bio-based white carbon black production line.

4 Certifications & Accreditations

Evolution Silicon's full product range holds comprehensive system certifications, meeting the access standards of high-end domestic and international supply chains and export markets:

1、Basic system certifications: ISO9001 Quality Management, ISO14001 Environment, ISO45001 Occupational Health and Safety.

2、Automotive industry certification: IATF16949 Automotive Supply Chain Quality Management System.

3、Carbon footprint & sustainability certifications: ISO14064 Product Carbon Footprint, ISO14040/14044 Full Life Cycle LCA Assessment, ISCC PLUS International Sustainability & Carbon Certification.

4、Overseas export certifications: REACH EU Market Access, SGS testing certification — a "green passport" for global brand expansion.

02 Disruptive Rice Husk Bio-Based Process Achieves Carbon-Negative Products

Unlike the traditional quartz sand high-temperature precipitation method — which suffers from high energy consumption, high wastewater output, and high carbon emissions — Evolution Silicon has pioneered a rice husk valorization + carbon dioxide acidification green process that transforms agricultural waste (rice husks) into core production raw materials, truly enabling agricultural and forestry waste recycling.

01 Traditional Process: Quartz Sand / Sulfuric Acid Precipitation Method

White carbon black (precipitated silica) is a core raw material in rubber, coatings, and new materials. The industry's decades-old quartz sand-sulfuric acid precipitation process has now hit developmental bottlenecks.

The traditional process requires melting quartz sand with sodium carbonate at a high temperature of 1600°C to produce sodium silicate, followed by acidification with sulfuric acid to precipitate silica, with sodium sulfate as a byproduct. 

The drawbacks of this process are significant:

• Energy consumption per tonne of silica remains extremely high.

• Each tonne of product consumes over 20 tonnes of water and generates large volumes of high-salinity sulfate wastewater, creating enormous environmental pressure.

• The production process directly emits approximately 4.2 tonnes of CO₂ per tonne of finished product — the high carbon footprint makes it difficult to align with dual-carbon policies and export carbon tariff requirements.

02 Evolution Silicon's Process: Rice Husk / Carbon Dioxide Acidification Method

Evolution Silicon's new circular economy-based process — using rice husks and carbon dioxide acidification — represents a revolutionary upgrade over the traditional route. The new process uses agricultural solid waste (rice husks) as raw material. The waste heat from rice husk combustion is fully recovered and reused in production, achieving energy self-sufficiency. Rice husk ash reacts with caustic soda to produce sodium silicate, and carbon dioxide replaces sulfuric acid for acidification, precipitating silica with sodium carbonate as a byproduct.

The advantages of this process are outstanding:

• Energy consumption is significantly reduced, and the byproduct — a weakly alkaline carbonate solution — can be recycled, eliminating the sulfate wastewater pollution problem.

• The production process actively consumes CO₂, achieving a product carbon footprint of -0.6 kg CO₂/kg — the industry's first carbon-negative product — perfectly aligning with downstream companies' ESG certification needs and foreign trade carbon barrier requirements, while supporting national dual-carbon policies.

From "three-high" traditional manufacturing to carbon-negative circular manufacturing, Evolution Silicon's new bio-based silica process has established a benchmark solution for the low-carbon transformation of inorganic new materials, potentially reshaping the entire silicon materials industry landscape.

03 Core Advantages

1、Steam generated from rice husk combustion is directly fed into production processes, significantly reducing production energy consumption.

2、The production process consumes CO₂ as a reactant, achieving a product carbon footprint of -0.6 kg CO₂/kg — a scarce carbon-negative new material in the industry.

3、The only byproduct is easily treatable carbonate wastewater that can be recycled, fundamentally solving the pollution challenges of traditional processes.

The company has already established two major production bases — a 10,000-tonne facility in Fuyang and a 100,000-tonne facility in Nantong — and operates the world's first large-scale production line for carbon-negative bio-based white carbon black. The related carbon-negative technology has been validated and endorsed by authoritative experts from the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation.

03 Three Core Green Products

Leveraging its proprietary carbonation technology, Evolution Silicon has built a system of three core product lines. Detailed product introductions and application solutions will be featured in follow-up posts.

1 Bio-Based White Carbon Black

Suitable for green tires, shoe materials, silicone rubber, toothpaste, animal feed, and other diverse applications. Specific surface area can be customized from 40 to 300 m²/g.

2 Bio-Based Silica Slurry

Dust-free, easy to store and transport — used in coatings, adhesives, papermaking, textile sizing, and other fields.

3 Bio-Based Silica Matting Agent

Available in hydrophilic and hydrophobic series, widely used in furniture coatings, powder coatings, and printing inks, providing matting, thickening, and anti-caking functions.