Cabot (Boston, Massachusetts / USA; www.cabot-corp.com) has begun construction of a 45,000 t/y black masterbatch plant at its site in Tianjin / China. The company said the USD 20m project is expected to start up in mid-2011, and will have the potential for expansion to 80,000 t/y in the future.

Sean Keohane, vice president and general manager of Cabot's performance segment, said output from the Tianjin masterbatch plant will be supplied to a broad range of markets, including the automotive sector and key infrastructure applications such as pipe, wire and cable. "Demand for masterbatch in China and the broader Asia Pacific region is growing rapidly,” he added.

Cabot already produces rubber and specialty carbon black at its Tianjin site. Adding masterbatch production will enable the site to meet the requirements of customers, especially in the polymer and plastics converting industry, remarked Xinsheng Zhang, VP and general manager of Cabot's Asia Pacific region.