Birla Carbon completes the acquisition of Nanocyl SA, a multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT’s) manufacturing company based in Sambreville, Belgium. The acquisition expands Birla Carbon’s presence in the energy systems, material critical to lithium-ion battery performance along with other conductive applications markets.
Along with the Conductex family of conductive carbon black additives and active anode materials, the inclusion of Nanocyl’s advanced MWCNTs provides Birla Carbon with a range of solutions for conductive applications
One of the uses of carbon black is in the manufacturing of plastic pipes, it helps to improve strength and durability. Applications are being developed in this niche where carbon black is deposited in the form of nanolayers, an area where Nanocyl excels.
Speaking about the acquisition, Dr Santrupt Misra, Group Director, Birla Carbon; Director, Chemicals & Director, Group HR, Aditya Birla Group, said, "We hope that this partnership will enable Birla Carbon to be a significant player in the emerging energy systems space."
“Aditya Birla Group has been concentrating on investing in sustainability and circularity-driven initiatives led by innovation in order to be future-ready," he added.
“We are proud of our journey to develop and commercialise MWCNT successfully over the past 20 years as an entrepreneurial start-up, with the support of our current partners and investors. However, with growing needs for our products, the time has come to join a Global industry leader in order to maximise the synergies and the potential of these materials across many end uses," Laurent Kosbach, Chief Executive Officer, Nanocyl, stated.
Birla Carbon is one of the largest manufacturers and suppliers of high-quality carbon black additives globally, and a flagship business of the $60 billion Aditya Birla Group.
The market for Carbon-based Nanomaterials was valued at $3.6 billion in 2022 and is anticipated to reach $40.71 billion by 2029, with a noteworthy CAGR of 27.5% from 2023 to 2029. In addition to Birla Carbon, key players in the sector include Cabot Corp, Orion, IMERYS, Mitsubishi Chemical Corp among others.
Birla Carbon last year embarked on a collaborative project to develop biocrude-derived graphite for lithium-ion batteries. The key aim of the project was to produce graphite more sustainably using renewable feedstocks which is in sync with the Aditya Birla Group firm's goal to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
The rise in demand for electric vehicles (EVs) is primarily fueling the lithium-ion battery market. Graphite is a key component in a lithium-ion battery that stores lithium. India's lithium-ion battery market is rapidly growing and is estimated to reach a value of $25,309.59 million by 2031, as per a Yahoo Finance report.
(Edited by : Ajay Vaishnav)
