Solvay Carbon Fiber Plant Tour

Solvay Carbon Fiber Plant tour -

12 People attended: PDH Form        

The first carbon fiber manufacturer in the nation, this facility was established on grounds of the old Donaldson Air Force base in Piedmont, SC.   It began under Union Carbide processing petroleum pitch (originally considered a waste stream generated during the refining of petroleum fuels) into high performance, heat absorbing carbon fiber for the airline brake industry.  In the early 1980's the facility purchased technology for a more complex PAN process.  The first to manufacture high tensile strength PAN carbon fiber in the United States, Amoco Performance Products, a subdvision of Amoco Oil, acquired the facility in 1988 and expanded production capacity.  After the merger of BP and Amoco this facility was sold to Cytec, and a third PAN manufacturing line was added.  Solvay then acquired this facility in 2015. 

In January, 2022 the plant restarted major processes that have been shut down to lack of demand during COVID. 

In 2022 the PAN process celebrated 40 years since it put the first product out the door.