“Can BioBlack really replace carbon black?”
By Ryan Cheng, CRO of Nature Coatings
People contact us all the time looking for a bio-based alternative to carbon black. Many are personally interested in sustainability, but they understand replacing a substance as common as carbon black requires a strong business case beyond “saving the planet.” Most of their questions boil down to: “Can BioBlack really replace carbon black?”
From black leather seats to mascara, most products manufactured today use black pigments sourced from carbon black. Because it’s produced by the incomplete combustion of petroleum, carbon black releases CO2 and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere that contribute to climate change. It also generates fine particulate matter and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and contains carcinogens called Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), all of which harms air quality and human health.
Regulations in the EU and elsewhere have opened the door to testing bio-based solutions that lower emissions and toxic chemicals. Increasingly strict policies have led R&D teams, manufacturers, and consumer brands to explore alternatives. Still, they have legitimate concerns: Are bio-based alternatives more expensive? Harder to engineer? Can they be scaled to drive growth and profits?
We asked ourselves the same questions on our own search for an alternative source to carbon black. We found several promising bio-based feedstocks, but most of them were expensive and could not be scaled. A surprising winner emerged: wood-waste. Not only is wood-waste sustainable, durable, traceable, and scalable, it’s also versatile and customizable. So far we’ve successfully created black pigments from wood waste for multiple industries, including plastics, textiles, coatings, inks, and cosmetics, among others.
Most of the folks who call us want to start by eliminating materials that emit the most emissions and toxins. For many pigment manufacturers, carbon black (used only for a single color) accounts for as much as 10% of all emissions. Because we don’t combust the wood as part of our proprietary process and use renewable energy in production, our pigments are “carbon negative,” meaning they actually become carbon sinks after production. Customers that switched from carbon black to BioBlack have removed as much as 85% of emissions from their production process for black pigments.
Toxins are sadly everywhere these days. From cosmetics, paints, and plastics, most consumers and factory workers would prefer not to absorb more toxins than they already do. BioBlack is an award-winning non-toxic alternative to carbon black, making it safer for factory workers and end consumers. BioBlack is certified 100% bio-based, has no traceable PAHs, VOCs, or PFAS, so our customers rest assured that they’re working with a clean product without toxic chemicals or carcinogens. Our products also meet several international policy standards in Europe and the United States.
Most of the people I talk to still have doubts: “Does BioBlack really perform like carbon black?” Our own, independent, and customer research, as well as real world applications confirm that BioBlack performs as well or better than carbon black in terms of lightfastness, desirable blue undertone, and UV protection.
They also want to know: “Could you produce enough BioBlack if we decide to replace all of our carbon black?” The answer is: we can easily scale production to meet almost any demand because we manage our own in house manufacturing plant and manage a global distribution network.
So whenever I’m asked, “Can BioBlack really replace carbon black?” - my answer is a definitive “Yes!” Having put that question to bed, my conversations can return to talking about all the environmental and reputational benefits of making the switch. All that’s left is for them to order a sample of BioBlack to see for themselves.
