Bayer breaks ground on world's largest carbon nanotubes production plant

28-Jan-09

Bayer MaterialScience has begun work on the construction of a new 200 tpa carbon nanotubes (CNTs) production facility in Chempark Leverkusen, the largest of its kind in the world. The company is to invest around EUR 22 mln in the planning, development and construction of the plant, which will create 20 new jobs. Subsequently, representatives of the Innovationsallianz "CNT - carbon nanomaterials conquer markets" - in brief: Inno.CNT - met in Chempark Leverkusen for their kick-off event. In this alliance, which is supported by the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF), more than 70 partners from industry and science have joined together to develop new technologies and applications for CNT-based materials. Current forecasts predict that the global market for carbon nanotubes will grow by 25% per annum. In ten years, annual sales of these products are expected to reach US$2 bln. The company is already operating a pilot 60 tpa plant in Laufenburg in southern Germany since 2007. Production involves a catalytic process in which the carbon nanotubes are obtained from a carbon-containing gas at elevated temperature in a reactor. Baytubes® - the brand name for Bayer's carbon nanotubes - are already being used to produce tough, extremely strong, lightweight materials. This means, for example, that rotor blades for wind turbines are more energy-efficient, that transport containers weigh less and that sports equipment can be made more robust. In order to meet highly ambitious climate targets set by Germany and the European Union, a total of EUR80 mln will be invested in R&D as part of Inno.CT, of which the BMBF will contribute about EUR40 mln. In addition, the participating companies want to invest up to EUR200 mln in the further development of these technologies and applications during the course of the projects and also after their conclusion.