BMS opens world’s largest carbon nanotube pilot facility

Bayer MaterialScience (BMS) has opened a new pilot facility for the manufacture of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) at Chempark Leverkusen, Germany. The company has invested some EUR 22 million in the planning, development and construction of the facility, which is the largest of its kind in the world and has an annual capacity of 200 tonnes.

With this investment, BMS is looking to gain a head start in supplying the demand for a host of applications for multi-wall carbon nanotubes, which the company is marketing under the trade name Baytubes. Current forecasts predict an annual growth rate of 25 % for carbon nanotubes. Within ten years, the market is expected to be worth USD 2 billion, says the company.

According to BMS, it is one of the few companies capable of manufacturing CNTs of a consistently high quality on an industrial scale. It has been operating a pilot facility with an annual capacity of 60 tonnes in Laufenburg in the German state of Baden-Württemberg since 2007. CNTs are manufactured from ethylene in a reactor at an elevated temperature using a catalytic process.

Baytubes can be added to polymer matrices or metal systems as a filler or modifier to improve their mechanical strength and impart electrical properties. Potential applications for the product include thermoplastic and thermoset systems and coatings. When used in coatings for ships, Baytubes ensure high abrasion resistance. At the same time they reduce the flow resistance between the ship's hull and the water, resulting in a reduction in fuel consumption. Further applications for carbon nanotubes include rotor blades for wind turbines, and sports equipment such as skis, hockey sticks and surfboards.