US requires carbon black companies to report greenhouse gas emissions

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has recently promulgated a new regulation that orders the US carbon black industry to report greenhouse gas emissions. To this end, the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) has developed a new standard, ASTM D7633, Carbon Black Carbon Content Test Method to standardize the accounting basis for greenhouse gas emissions.

Industry authorities predict that because this standard is the only standard method that can be used to determine carbon content in carbon black products, it will be accepted and adopted globally. Carbon black producers and related laboratories are the main users of this new international standard. This standard measurement method may be included in the United States and Canada greenhouse gas emissions regulations, and may even be adopted by the relevant national environmental protection agencies, including EU countries, that are required to report greenhouse gas emissions.

In addition, ASTM is currently drafting a standard method for determining carbon content in carbon black feedstock oils.