CHON BURI, THAILAND — When Eco Infinic Co., Ltd. opened the doors of its dedicated R&D laboratory in 2025, the intention was straightforward: stop accepting the limits of recycled materials and start setting new ones.

Twelve months on, the results speak for themselves.

The laboratory — established within Eco Infinic's operational facility in Chon Buri, Thailand and representing an investment of 5.3 million Baht — has become the technical engine behind the company's recovered Carbon Black (rCB) product line. It is one of the few purpose-built facilities in Southeast Asia focused exclusively on rubber tire and non-tire rCB application development.

Eco Infinic, a BOI-approved subsidiary of SHEICO Group (Taiwan) and a member of the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) under the Environmental Management Industry Club and Rubber Industry Club, has positioned the laboratory as the centerpiece of its commitment to delivering certified, performance-proven rCB to global manufacturers.

BUILT TO PROVE, NOT JUST PRODUCE

Eco Infinic processes 100,000 metric tons of end-of-life tires annually at its Chon Buri facility, producing rCB as its primary certified circular material. The question the R&D laboratory was created to answer was not whether rCB could be produced at scale — that had already been proven. The question was whether it could perform to the standards that global manufacturers demand.

"The lab exists to close the gap between what recycled materials are and what manufacturers need them to be," said Jerry, Head of R&D. "Every test we run is a step toward making rCB indistinguishable from virgin carbon black in the applications that matter."

The laboratory is staffed by 13 specialists: seven R&D personnel focused on material science and formulation development, and six dedicated testing personnel who conduct physical property analysis on rCB and its end-product performance.

WHAT THE LAB ACTUALLY DOES

The facility operates across three core workstreams, covering the full development cycle from raw material optimization to end-product validation:

Physical-Property Benchmarking

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Every batch of rCB produced at Eco Infinic is benchmarked against standard virgin carbon black grades. The lab's Universal Material Testing Machine measures tensile strength, tear strength, elongation, and M300 modulus — the standard performance metrics by which carbon black is judged in rubber compounding.

ECB-560X has been tested and confirmed as a high-performance semi-reinforcing filler comparable to N550 and N660 grade virgin carbon black. For the applications where these grades are traditionally specified — passenger and commercial tire carcasses, inner liners, and sidewalls, as well as conveyor belts, anti-vibration mounts, industrial hoses, and precision sealing components — a semi-reinforcing filler in this performance range is not a compromise. It is the correct specification. ECB-560X delivers modulus performance of approximately 75% of virgin N550, which is the appropriate benchmark for this application tier, and has been validated accordingly.

Compound Development and Customer Formulation Testing

The laboratory offers collaborative formulation testing for qualified partners. Manufacturers can work directly with Eco Infinic's R&D team to assess rCB substitution in their existing compounds under agreed testing protocols — reducing the technical risk and adoption lead time associated with switching from virgin carbon black, without requiring investment in their own testing programs.

Recovered Carbon Black Upgrading (Additional New Investment)

Through a controlled Jet Milling process, the lab achieves a particle size distribution with D99 maintained below 10 microns — a critical parameter for reinforcement performance in demanding rubber applications. Ash content is consistently controlled within 16.5–18 wt%, and PAH levels meet Category 2 of the EU's PAH restriction standard for rubber articles (AfPS GS 2014:01 PAK / REACH Annex XVII) — the threshold governing materials intended for prolonged or repetitive skin contact, and a prerequisite for supply into European consumer goods markets.

The dedicated equipment supporting these workstreams includes:

  • Moving Die Rheometer — scorch and cure time measurement
  • Mooney Viscometer — viscosity analysis
  • Universal Material Testing Machine — tensile strength, tear strength, elongation, M300
  • DIN Wear Resistance Testing Machine — abrasion resistance
  • Carbon Black Mixing Grader — dispersion assessment
  • Intensive Mixer and Mixer — compound preparation
  • Specific Gravity Balance — density measurement
  • Durometer — hardness testing
  • Swing-arm Cutting Machine — test sample preparation

All instruments are operated by personnel trained specifically in rCB characterization and application testing, and additional equipment is constantly being evaluated and acquired to enhance the lab’s capabilities.

THE CARBON NUMBERS THAT MATTER

Beyond rubber performance, the laboratory plays a direct role in the environmental credentials that make Eco Infinic's rCB commercially compelling to sustainability-driven buyers.

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Prior to the laboratory's establishment, Eco Infinic's rCB carried a certified carbon footprint of 0.585 kg CO₂e per kilogram, independently verified under ISO 14067:2018 — already dramatically lower than conventional virgin carbon black, which typically carries between 2.5 and 3.5 kg CO₂e/kg depending on the production method. Switching to ECB-560X saves manufacturers up to 3,000 kg of CO₂ per ton of material, depending on the virgin carbon black grade being replaced.

The R&D laboratory has strengthened this story in a less visible but equally important way. The lab's process optimization work — controlling particle size, ash content, and compound performance with greater precision — feeds directly back into the production process, generating the quality-consistent, data-rich outputs that rigorous environmental measurement depends on. It is also the lab's analytical capability that enables Eco Infinic to compile, verify, and submit updated environmental performance data proactively to its certification body, well ahead of each renewal deadline, ensuring continuous, uninterrupted ISO 14067 coverage.

A preliminary updated figure is currently being prepared as part of Eco Infinic's proactive ISO 14067:2018 renewal process. No figure will be cited publicly until the certification body has formally verified it. What is already clear is that this will be the first carbon footprint measurement conducted with the full analytical support of the dedicated R&D facility — a stronger, more data-grounded picture of a product that remains one of the lowest-carbon alternatives to virgin carbon black available in Asia.

For companies operating under Net Zero commitments or subject to EU supply chain sustainability reporting requirements, the ability to cite independently verified, continuously updated carbon data from their material supplier is a direct procurement advantage. Eco Infinic's laboratory makes that level of rigor possible.

COLLABORATIONS THAT EXTEND THE REACH

The laboratory does not operate in isolation. Eco Infinic is a subsidiary of SHEICO Group — a world-scale technical rubber manufacturer with global production operations and deep expertise in precision rubber applications across multiple industries. This relationship gives the R&D laboratory direct access to advanced manufacturing standards and end-use performance requirements that inform every aspect of the benchmarking and formulation work.

For global market development and product collaboration, Eco Infinic works with CSRC Group and Continental Carbon — strategic partners in the planned North American rCB production expansion — which provides access to international rCB market intelligence and carbon black supply chain networks. For Eco Infinic's benchmarking program, that access is not incidental — it is the reference standard against which ECB-560X is measured.

Together, these partnerships give the laboratory a level of real-world technical grounding that cannot be replicated from within a single facility.

THE NEXT FRONTIER

One year in, the laboratory's scope is expanding. Eco Infinic is actively exploring rCB applications beyond tire and industrial rubber — including plastics, coatings, and advanced materials — and has opened dialogue with potential partners in the paint and coatings industry, where carbon black serves as both a functional pigment and a performance reinforcer in products ranging from architectural coatings to automotive finishes.

The laboratory is open to collaboration with both local and international institutions — government research bodies, universities, and private-sector companies — for rCB research and application development across tire, rubber, plastics, and advanced materials. Interested parties are invited to contact Eco Infinic directly.

A PLATFORM FOR INDUSTRY ADVANCEMENT

Eco Infinic's membership in the Federation of Thai Industries — under both the Environmental Management Industry Club and the Rubber Industry Club as a registered chemical supplier — reflects the company's commitment to advancing Thailand's circular economy agenda beyond its own facility walls. The laboratory is as much an industry resource as it is a commercial asset: a place where Thailand's rubber and materials sectors can access the technical validation they need to integrate recovered materials into their supply chains with confidence.

As Southeast Asia's circular economy accelerates and global brands face growing pressure to verify the sustainability credentials of their supply chains, the region needs facilities that can both produce certified materials and prove their performance. In its second year, the Eco Infinic R&D laboratory will extend its focus into new application categories — plastics, coatings, and advanced materials among them — and deepen its international collaboration program, as the company works toward positioning rCB as a default-choice material across a wider range of industries. The infrastructure is in place. The data is building. The direction is clear.

ABOUT ECO INFINIC CO., LTD.

Eco Infinic Co., Ltd. is a BOI Thailand-approved tire pyrolysis company based in Sriracha, Chon Buri, and a subsidiary of SHEICO Group (Taiwan). The company processes 100,000 metric tonnes of end-of-life tires annually, with its primary product being Recovered Carbon Black (ECB-560X). Eco Infinic holds ISCC PLUS, ISCC EU, and ISO 9001:2015 certifications, with ISO 14001:2015 Environmental Management System certification and ISO 14067:2018 carbon footprint certification active in 2026. The company is a member of the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) under the Environmental Management Industry Club and Rubber Industry Club.

For collaboration inquiries or product information:
Veerasak Kaewchomphoo | Business Development Manager
Tel: +66 96 9747419 | Email: veerasak_k@eco-infinic.com | www.eco-infinic.com