A review of carbon black pigments

This classification covers a wide range of very useful pigments in the paint and printing industry. They consist largely of elementary carbon which differ mainly in colour and particle size. Carbon black, although consisting essentially of elementary carbon is usually grouped with the inorganic pigments, and is the generic name for a wide variety of finely divided carbonaceous pigments produced by the partial combustion or thermal decomposition of liquid or gaseous hydrocarbon feedstocks under controlled conditions. The most important are derived from natural gases and are classified as channel or furnace blacks according to the method of production.