NEDERWEERT, the Netherlands – Carbon black producer Black Bear announced that Patricia Geelen, Ph.D., has joined the company to head up product development efforts in coatings and to serve customers in the growing market for high-quality “green” carbon black.

Geelen has gained broad experience in the coatings market with Interpolymer, AkzoNobel, Everris and Trespa after completing her Ph.D. in polymer chemistry at the Technical University of Eindhoven. She will support Black Bear’s expanding customer base in the Specialty segments as well as bring her deep industry knowledge to the product development team.

“I am personally very excited that Patricia is joining our team. It confirms our strategy of only producing high-quality carbon blacks with excellent technical performance,” said Black Bear CEO Martijn Lopes Cardozo. “She will work closely with our launching customers and lead the efforts to target the applications with the best technical fit.”

A leader in the circular economy, Black Bear has developed breakthrough technology to upcycle carbon black from end-of-life tires. These green carbon blacks offer a high-quality, sustainable replacement for furnace carbon blacks in a wide range of applications including tires, technical rubber goods, plastics, inks and coatings.