International. The international inspection company TÜV SÜD has recently certified the Wacker Group's mass balance method for tracking renewable raw materials in silicone manufacturing. Therefore, the company has a recognized procedure for tracking the use of renewable raw materials throughout the production process as far as the final product is concerned.
Since April, Wacker also uses plant-based methanol in its production processes, it can now market silicone fluids manufactured exclusively with the help of biomethanol. Silicone fluids produced with bio-based or petrochemical methanol are chemically identical. However, biomethanol-based silicones have a significantly more favorable carbon balance, as there are no fossil feedstocks involved in the manufacture of methanol.
Certificates issued in mid-March certify that the mass balance method used by Wacker in silicone manufacturing meets the TÜV SÜD standard CMS 71 criteria for the traceability of renewable raw materials. One such raw material is, for example, biomethanol, which can be used in place of methanol from fossil sources. The certificates also include various high- and low-viscosity silicone fluids for use in the cosmetics and consumer goods industries.
For Wacker, the TÜV certificate is important because, starting in April, its Wacker Silicones business division will not only use petroleum-based methanol, but also biomethanol obtained from plant waste. With the help of the mass balance method, the amount of silicone fluid produced from renewable and therefore non-fossil raw materials can be calculated. The biomethanol used for this purpose is obtained exclusively from certified manufacturers.
