Thermal Black Project in Russia

Evonik’s Inorganic Materials Business Unit and the Russian Synttech Group are assessing the possibility of a cooperation.

Both parties are considering working together to manufacture Thermal Blacks. On June 30, 2008 representatives from both companies signed a Letter of Intent in Frankfurt, Germany. In the coming weeks they will jointly examine the financial and technical feasibility of such a relationship.

The Synttech Group acquired the exploitation rights of a gas field near Inta, a city in the Republic of Komi, which is located in the northeastern corner of European Russia. Together with Evonik the intention is to build and operate a plant with a capacity in the range of 20,000 metric tons per year using natural gas to produce Thermal Blacks. It is also intended that both companies would jointly be responsible for marketing and sales efforts.

According to Thomas Hermann, the President of Evonik’s Inorganic Materials Business Unit, “ the planned cooperation with Synttech takes into account the fast growing Eastern European economy, especially in Russia”. Thermal Blacks, manufactured with Evonik’s Technology, are primarily used by the Rubber Industry for the manufacturing of Mechanical Rubber Goods.