Cut the Grind: How Dispersions Can Simplify Your Production Overnight

Summary: Nature Coatings offers BioBlack dispersions, a pre-formulated, "pour-and-play" liquid solution that eliminates the mess and EHS risks of traditional carbon black powders. This carbon-negative pigment, derived from certified wood waste, provides superior ease of use and environmental benefits over combustion-based alternatives.

By Kevin Bratcher, COO of Nature Coatings

If you have ever walked through a facility handling traditional carbon black powder, you know the reality: it gets everywhere. It is messy, it requires strict EHS (Environmental, Health, and Safety) protocols, and the cleanup is a never-end battle.

If your goals involve reducing EHS risks, speeding up production, and hitting aggressive carbon reduction targets, the answer isn't a better powder. It’s a better delivery system.

For decades, the industry has accepted this as the "cost of doing business" for deep black pigments. But after recent conversations with partners and hearing feedback from the floor at recent trade shows, one thing has become abundantly clear: Performance today isn't just about color strength—it’s about handling convenience.

Our Chief Revenue Officer, Ryan Cheng, put it best after returning from the field: manufacturers are tired of the dust. They are looking for easy-to-use solutions that integrate seamlessly into their lines without the regulatory and cleaning headaches associated with powders.

This is why Nature Coatings is drawing a line in the sand. We aren't just a raw material supplier; we are a formulated solutions partner.

Historically, the market might view us alongside traditional carbon black producers—the giants like Orion who supply raw powder in massive quantities. But that comparison is becoming increasingly outdated.

We see our future—and the value we bring to you—as far more aligned with dispersion specialists like Avient or Archroma.

Why the distinction? Because raw powder places the burden of formulation, grinding, and safety on you. A high-quality dispersion places that burden on us.

By focusing on our BioBlack dispersions, we are delivering a pre-formulated, liquid solution that is "pour-and-play." This shift eliminates the need for bead milling and complex wetting steps on your end, allowing you to bypass the most difficult parts of working with black pigments.

Moving to dispersions isn't just about convenience; it is about intellectual property that helps customers work smarter, not harder.

Creating a stable, high-performance dispersion that holds up over time is complex chemistry. Our BioBlack dispersions utilize a patent-protected formulation that ensures compatibility and stability that raw powders simply cannot offer on their own.

When you buy a dispersion from us, you aren't just buying pigment; you are buying a patented technology designed to stay in suspension and perform consistently, batch after batch.

Finally, this shift highlights our most critical differentiator: the origin of the black itself.

Most competitors in the dispersion space are still suspending pigments created through combustion—burning fossil fuels (or even bio-oils) in furnaces to capture the soot. No matter how bio-based or how good their dispersion chemistry is, the core ingredient is still a product of burning.

Nature Coatings is different. Our process does not rely on combustion. We utilize a closed-loop system that turns certified wood waste into pigment, resulting in a carbon-negative footprint.

If the aim is to lower EHS risk, improve manufacturing speed, and meet ambitious carbon targets, the solution isn’t simply a different pigment — it’s a fundamentally better delivery system.

By pivoting to high-performance dispersions, we are ensuring that BioBlack isn't just the most sustainable option on the market—it’s also the easiest to use.