Industry News

Levidian: Unveils Prototype Graphene Enhanced Truck Tire Tread  Link...

Launched at the 2024 Tire Technology Expo in Hannover, the graphene-enhanced natural rubber and butadiene rubber tyre tread compound, has been shown to deliver significant improvements in the mechanical and dynamic properties of the tire leading to an improvement in fuel efficiency of 3 to 4%.

Levidian’s graphene is produced as part of a unique decarbonisation solution called LOOP that allows tyre producers to drive down the emissions of their manufacturing processes and products through the production of clean hydrogen and high-quality graphene, which can be used as a reinforcing, tread grade carbon filler. Levidian’s solution offers tyre manufacturers the opportunity to not only drive down the emissions associated with production but secure their supply chains by producing their own graphene on site for direct application into their tyres.

Denka: Establishing JV Company to Manufacture and Sell Acetylene Black  Link...

Denka has announced the establishment of a joint venture company to operate a business manufacturing and selling acetylene black jointly with SCG Chemicals Public Company Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Siam Cement Public Company Limited, listed company in Thailand and to construct a plant for the production of acetylene black in Map Ta Phut, Rayong Province, Thailand.

Denka’s acetylene black is currently manufactured in three locations in and outside Japan. By establishing a new manufacturing base and constructing a plant with a 11 kMTpa capacity in Thailand, Denka will increase the stability of the supply of DENKA BLACKⓇ/ Li.

The final investment decision is reliant on approval by SCG's governing body, the decision is planned to take place by the end of 2023.

OCSiAL: Hayleys Aventura Uses OCSIAL Know-How to Produce Tuball Latex Graphene Dispersions of ESD Glove Manufacturing in South Asia and Europe  Link...

The collaboration between Hayleys Aventura, and OCSiAl, has resulted in the launch of local manufacturing of the TUBALL LATEX graphene nanotube dispersion. The production line has been installed at Hayleys Aventura’s facility in Kaluthara, Sri Lanka, leveraging OCSiAl’s know-how. This new production capacity is intended to meet the demand in the South Asia and European regions.

Demand for ESD gloves is expected to grow as a result of advances in the automotive, electronics and ATEX markets and graphene based ESD gloves meet the latest ESD standards. Extremely low loadings of graphene nanotubes are required which allows the use of standard processing as well as having a positive impact on other properties.

LG Chem: Speeding Up Expansion of Carbon Nanotube Production  Link...

LG Chem has started construction of its fourth carbon nanotube (CNT) plant at its Daesan Complex. LG Chem’s CNT 4 Plant is slated for operation in 2025 and will contribute to doubling LG Chem’s annual CNT production capability to 6,100 tons.

LG Chem has been continuously expanding its CNT production capacity to gain a strong competitive advantage in the global CNT market which is rapidly evolving around electric vehicle (EV) battery materials. LG Chem has been operating CNT plants since 2017, starting from 500-ton productions at its CNT Plant 1, and is building new plants every year since 2020 to meet growing demands.

CNT materials produced by LG Chem will be supplied as conductive additives to battery makers including the current global EV battery market leader LG Energy Solution, with plans for usage to be expanded to a broader range of industries. When used as conductive additives for cathodes, CNT can reduce the volume of conductive additives in batteries by nearly 30 percent while achieving 10 percent more conductivity than carbon black. CNT-based batteries can deliver higher capacity and longer lifespan as more power-generating cathode materials can be used in place of the conductive additives. Thus, besides conductive additives for cathodes, CNT is also an attractive conductive additive of next-generation anode, lithium-sulfur and solid-state batteries.

Denka: Establishing JV Acetylene Black Manufacturing & Sales Business with SCG Chemicals  Link...

Denka Company Limited has entered into an agreement on the establishment of a joint venture company to operate an acetylene black manufacturing and sales business with SCG Chemicals Public Company Limited. The new company will be based in Rayong, Thailand.

Denka currently manufactures acetylene black at a total of three sites in Japan and overseas, and has been planning to establish a new manufacturing site for some time as a measure to meet the sharp increase in demand. SCGC is a subsidiary of Siam Cement Public Company Limited, one of the major conglomerates in Asia, and a leading integrated chemical company in ASEAN.This JV combines SCGC's extensive and stable raw materials supply capabilities with Denka's highpurity acetylene black manufacturing technologies and sales network meeting the increasing demand.

The new facility is expected to have a capacity of 11 kMTpa with production starting in 2025. Denka has positioned the environment and energy field, specifically xEVs and 5G, as key fields in its business strategy.

Molecular Rebar Design LLC: DOE Grant for EV Tire Treads Containing Functionalised Carbon Nanotubes  Link...

Molecular Rebar Design, LLC (MRD) has been awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II grant from the U.S. Department of Energy-Office of Science to develop, build, and test prototype tires for electric vehicles (EVs) using organosilane functionalized carbon nanotubes. The tires will be built and tested by The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company.

This newly awarded Phase II grant (DE-SC20021823) is a continuation of a successful Phase I project. In that project, MRD demonstrated that the use of specially modified Molecular Rebar® carbon nanotubes generated impressive results, including an improved tire tread compound with enhanced abrasion resistance of 25%+, decreased density of 6-7%, and reduced rolling resistance / heat build-up of 20%, based on lab indicators, as compared to a state-of-the-art tread compound. The premise is that longer lasting, more energy efficient tire performance will help adoption of EVs, particularly as it relates to the conversion of vehicle fleets to electric powertrain.

In Phase II, a commercially viable product form of the carbon nanotube material developed in Phase I will be created. That product form development will focus on ease of integration for tire manufacturers and consistency in improved tire performance. The new product will then be used by Goodyear in tire tread rubber compounds to build prototype tires for testing, which will prove the commercial viability and value of these improved tires with new functionalized carbon nanotubes. The prototype tires with organosilane Molecular Rebar will be tested by Goodyear in a comparison to in-use existing tires used on EVs. Success in this prototype test and demonstration will be a key step to implementing this new technology in future tire production.

OCSiAL: Expanding Graphene Nanotube Production in Europe  Link...

OCSiAl is launching a 40 MT/y graphene nanotube synthesis facility near Belgrade, Serbia, in the first half of 2023. The synthesis facility will be accompanied by production lines of nanotube concentrates for various polymers and nanotube dispersions to boost energy density of electric vehicle batteries.

To meet the growing demand for graphene nanotubes, the Serbian facility will soon be complemented by a larger nanotube manufacturing facility in Differdange, Luxembourg, in 2025.

Orion Engineered Carbons: Planning Acetylene Black Plant in U.S.  Link...

Orion Engineered Carbons (OEC) has announced plans to build the only plant in the U.S. producing acetylene-based conductive additives – a critical link in the value chain for lithium-ion batteries, high-voltage cables and other products powering the global transition to electrification and renewable energy.

OEC’s planned facility in La Porte, Texas, will be backed by a long-term agreement for acetylene supplied from a neighboring site owned by Equistar Chemicals LP, a subsidiary of LyondellBasell.OEC will invest between $120 million to $140 million in the facility, expected to start up in the second half of 2024. This investment should increase the company’s conductive additives capacity by approximately 12 kMTpar.

OCSiAL: Gets Green Light for Luxembourg Graphene Nanotube Production Facility  Link...

OCSiAl has been granted approval by Luxembourg authorities for a production plant, together with an associated R&D center, in Differdange, Luxembourg. The facility will further OCSiAl’s strategic advantage as the leading supplier of the supermaterial and enhance the geographic accessibility of graphene nanotubes to the growing EV components markets in Europe.

Sumitomo Chemical: Joint Development of Hydrogen Production with Microwave Chemical  Link...

Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd. and Microwave Chemical Co., Ltd. have started joint development of a process to produce hydrogen by pyrolyzing methane through the use of microwaves, aiming to begin commercial production in the early 2030s, with a capacity of several tens of thousands of tons per year.

Hydrogen is used as a raw material for a range of chemical products, including synthetic resins and organic compounds, and is also attracting much attention as one of the next-generation energy sources for the realization of a carbon-neutral society because it emits no carbon dioxide (CO2) when combusted. The hydrogen obtained by the pyrolysis of methane, a greenhouse gas (GHG), is known as turquoise hydrogen. One advantage of this pyrolysis process is that it simultaneously yields valuable solid carbons, such as carbon black and carbon nanotubes.

The methane pyrolysis reaction requires a large amount of heat, making the reduction of energy used in production a major challenge. A microwave, a type of electromagnetic wave, can directly and selectively heat objects in a reactor from their inside by rotating their molecules and atoms. Compared to other processes that indirectly heat objects in a reactor from their outside, the pyrolysis process using microwaves has greater potential to reduce the energy required to produce hydrogen, as well as CO2 emissions, while also offering higher scalability for commercial production. This joint development aims to establish an energy-saving and highly efficient hydrogen production process by 2026 by combining Sumitomo Chemical's catalyst and chemical process design technology with Microwave Chemical's microwave platform technology. The two companies have already started laboratory-scale experiments at Microwave Chemical.

Monolith Materials: Collaborating with Goodyear  Link...

The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has signed a collaboration agreement and letter of intent with Monolith for the development and potential use of carbon black produced from methane and/or biomethane for tires.

Monolith Materials: Joint Venture with SK Inc to Produce Clean Hydrogen and Carbon Black Products in South Korea  Link...

Monolith announced it has signed a memorandum of understanding with SK Inc. to pursue a joint venture for producing clean hydrogen and carbon black products in South Korea. Monolith currently produces clean hydrogen and carbon black in Hallam, Nebraska, with plans for additional U.S.-based growth already underway.

As part of the MOU, Monolith will share its production and technology knowledge with SK Inc. to produce hydrogen and solid carbon products in South Korea. SK Inc. will oversee the production, sales and distribution of these products in that market. Monolith and SK Inc. first worked together in the summer of 2021 following SK Inc.’s investment in the clean hydrogen production leader.

OCSiAL: Daikin Invests in OCSiAl to Accelerate EV Li Ion Battery Materials Development  Link...

Daikin Industries, Ltd recently invested in OCSiAl S.A, the world’s largest manufacturer of single wall carbon nanotubes. Daikin Chemicals division has been collaborating with OCSiAl to develop applications in the fluorochemical business for lithium-ion battery materials as well as composite materials.

Eastman: Selling Tire Additives Business Product Lines  Link...

Eastman has entered into a definitive agreement with an affiliate of One Rock Capital Partners to sell certain rubber addtives of its Additives & Functional Products (AFP) segment. The sale includes Crystex™ insoluble sulfur and Santoflex™ antidegradants and other related assets and technology of the AFP segment. The sale does not include performance resin product lines of the tire additives business.

Orlen Unipetrol: Constructing DCPD Production Unit  Link...

Orlen Unipetrol is investing CZK 831 million in a new 26 kMTpa DCPD plant which will be operational 2H 2022. DCPD is used in the production of polymer materials, resins or chemical specialities.

Cancarb: Completes Expansion Addition of Sixth Production Line  Link...

Cancarb, part of Tokai Carbon, has completed the expansion at its Medicine Hat plant with the addition of a 9 kMTpa sixth production line giving the plant a final capacity of 54 kMTpa.

Orion Engineered Carbons: Increasing Acetylene Black Pricing  Link...

Orion Engineered Carbons is raising the price of its acetylene black by 20 percent globally from 1st March 2021, or as contracts allow. The company justifies the price increases due to investments in the acquired plant in France, these investments were required to serve the growing market demand for lithium-ion battery production. Additional cost increases have been seen in packaging, transportation and environmental obligations.

Monolith Materials: Receives Investment from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to Support Clean Hydrogen Production  Link...

Monolith Materials has received an investment from Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America Inc to support its emissions-free hydrogen manufacturing technology. Monolith Materials is the first U.S. manufacturer to produce a clean hydrogen known as “turquoise hydrogen” on a commercial scale.

OCSiAL: Opens Graphene Nanotube R&D Center in Europe  Link...

OCSiAl has opened an R&D center in Luxembourg to enable development of next generation materials using graphene nanotubes. OCSiAl already has R&D and technical support centres in Asia and Eastern Europe. The decision to open a new center in Luxembourg was based on the fact that Europe is at the forefront of developments in material engineering solutions including the ongoing automotive industry evolution.

The company plans to launch the world’s largest graphene nanotube synthesizing facility in Luxembourg in 2023. Together with the R&D and technical support center, OCSiAl’s new production facility will form a cluster for the most advanced developments in the field of materials of the future.

Karlsruhe Institute of Technology: Negative Carbon Dioxide to Carbon Research Project  Link...

The NEgative Carbon diOxide to Carbon (NECOC) research project is a partnership between direct air capture (DAC) technology company Climeworks and INTERATEC, a spinout of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Germany.

The partners are to build the world's first container-scale facility to reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide to carbon black. The process involves capturing CO2 from ambient air by DAC, via adsorption. In a microstructured reactor, the CO2 is then combined with renewable hydrogen to produce methane and water. The methane is then passed through a bubble reactor filled with liquid tin. In the ascending methane bubbles, pyrolysis takes places, breaking the methane down into hydrogen – which is fed back into methanation – and solid carbon in the form of a microgranular powder.

The planned facility is to be built at KIT. Future extensions are planned which are to increase performance per container and to enable parallel operation of multiple facilities. KIT will coordinate and operate the facility, in addition to contributing the pyrolysis technology.

Directa Plus: Joint R&D Agreement with Comerio Ercole for Industrial Graphene Application Development  Link...

Directa Plus has signed an agreement with Comerio Ercole to pursue joint research and development projects for Direct Plus' G+ graphene material in rubber, tires, plastic and non-woven materials industries. The partners will use Comerio’s own R&D laboratory, with mixing and calendering machinery, to explore prototype processes using polymers and elastomers that could in future be useful to produce and improve compounds containing G+.

XG Sciences: Partners with Perpetuus to Supply Graphene to North American Tire Markets  Link...

XG Sciences has entered into commercialisation and license agreements with Perpetus Advanced Materials.

The Agreements provide the commercial framework allowing the two companies to more closely collaborate in the exclusive supply of functionalized graphene into the North American market and to also collaboratively develop applications for the global marketplace. Initially, the Companies will focus efforts on elastomers, with an emphasis on tires and related applications, but may expand the relationship over time to include other markets and applications. Under the Agreements, Perpetuus will locate one or more of its patented, plasma-based surfaces-modification production plantsin the U.S. near one of XG Sciences’ graphene nanoplatelet production facilities. The collaboration contemplates both product development collaboration and high-volume commercial supply.

Birla Carbon: Forms Joint Development Agreement with CHASM Advanced Materials  Link...

Birla Carbon and CHASM Advanced Materials Inc. are joining forces to accelerate the discovery and development of novel nanomaterials for markets such as high-performance tires, novel coatings and next-generation batteries.

The joint development agreement allows the two companies to share research and engineering resources to develop and manufacture hybrid nanomaterials based on carbon substrates and carbon nanotubes. These hybrid nanomaterials combine CHASM’s nanotube enhanced carbon (NTeC) technology with Birla Carbon’s expertise in commercialization and manufacturing.

Denka: Decides to Continue Producing Acetylene Black at Omuta Plant, Japan  Link...

Denka has decided to alter the plan to cease calcium carbide production at its Omuta, Fukuoka plant in Japan. The plan was previously announced on 8 November 2017. Under the revised plan, production of certain grades of acetylene black will continue past January 2020 at the Omuta plant. The reason for the change is the growing demand for acetylene black in lithium ion batteries.

Denka: Price Revision of DENKA BLACK and DENKA BLACK Li  Link...

Applicable to deliveries from January 2019, Denka is increasing prices by 20%. Denka is a leading producer of acetylene black used for its purity and electrical conductivity in many varied applications. The price increase is required to maintain business sustainability and reliable supply.

Monolith Materials: New Plant for Clean Carbon Black and Hydrogen  Link...

LINCOLN, Neb., April 17, 2015 – Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD), Nebraska’s largest electric utility, plans to replace an existing coal-fired boiler at its Sheldon Station plant in Hallam, Neb. with one that uses clean-burning hydrogen fuel. The hydrogen will be produced by Monolith Materials as a co-product from its production of carbon black using natural gas as a feedstock. The collaborative undertaking is expected to create good paying jobs at the site and enable NPPD to continue to generate and deliver affordable, reliable and sustainable energy to Nebraskans.

Cancarb: Trans Canada Corp has agreed to sell Cancarb to Tokai Carbon  Link...

CALGARY, Alberta—TransCanada Corp. has agreed to sell thermal carbon black maker Cancarb Ltd. and its related power generation facility to Tokai Carbon Co. Ltd. for $190 million. The transaction is expected to close late in this year's first quarter, subject to various approvals. According to TransCanada, the divestiture of Cancarb and its waste heat recovery power plant, located in Medicine Hat, Alberta, allows it to capitalize on current market conditions and better align its asset base with the company's strategic direction, focused on large-scale pipeline and power generation projects in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. Cancarb, acquired by TransCanada in 1981, is a producer of thermal carbon black, a specialized form of carbon black derived from super-heated natural gas that is used in a wide range of industrial and automotive products, including high-grade rubber, insulation and ceramics. The adjoining 41-megawatt power plant that was added in 2001 captures large volumes of waste heat from the manufacturing process to produce electricity that is sold into Medicine Hat's electrical grid, helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.TransCanada regularly evaluates it portfolio of assets, according to Russ Girling, TransCanada president and chief executive officer. "The proceeds from this sale will help fund TransCanada's unprecedented capital growth plan that includes $38 billion in new projects to be completed by the end of the decade," he said. Girling said that low natural gas prices, "combined with Cancarb's strong performance and global market share for thermal carbon black, made it an attractive investment for prospective buyers. Decisions like this are intended to build a stronger company for everyone, and we are committed to ensuring Cancarb's employees are treated fairly during the transition to new ownership." Tokyo-based Tokai Carbon Co. Ltd. is an international supplier of furnace carbon black and other carbon ceramic-related products. TransCanada previously attempted to sell Cancarb in 2000 to Sid Richardson Carbon Co.; however Sid Richardson bowed out of the agreement in 2001, citing changing economic conditions

Denka: Establishing a New Production Facility for Ultra Pure Acetylene Black  Link...

DENKA (president: Shinsuke Yoshitaka) has been operating production facilities for DENKA BLACK (acetylene black), a type of electro-conductive carbon black that boasts high purity, at its Omuta Plant (Omuta City, Fukuoka Prefecture) and its Merbau Plant (Singapore). We hereby announce that we have decided to expand production and commenced the construction of a new acetylene black production facility at our Chiba Plant (Ichihara City, Chiba Prefecture

Atlantic Hydrogen Inc.: Emera invests in AHI Commercialization  Link...

An invesment by Emera is helping to fund an industrial scale CarbonSaver plant at Emera's Bayside electrical generating station new Saint John, NB, Canada.

Cancarb: Increased Waste Heat Recovery  Link...

Cancarb Ltd, a manufacturer of thermal carbon black, has increased its waste heat recovery power plant by more than 15%.