France's Arkema to Construct 400-Ton Carbon Nanotube Pilot Plant

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Arkema SA (EPA:AKE) (Colombes, France) has announced plans to construct a pilot plant for the production of carbon nanotubes (CNT) in Mont, France. The plant will have a scheduled start-up date of early 2011 and will assist Arkema in taking advantage of the anticipated vast increase in the global CNT market.

The global nanotube market has experienced steady growth in past years, but industry analysts now expect the market to begin expanding dramatically. While the U.S. is the leader in the CNT market in terms of revenues, Europe is expected to become the fastest-growing market. The Asia-Pacific region and the U.S. currently account for more than 75% of the global CNT market. The Asia-Pacific region is forecast to have CNT revenues of up to $2.5 billion by 2012.

CNTs are cylindrical carbon molecules with unusual properties that make them suitable for applications in electronics, nanotechnology projects, and optical applications. They have extraordinary strength and possess unique electrical properties in addition to being efficient thermal conductors. Typically, a CNT has a diameter of a few nanometers, much smaller than the diameter of a human hair, but can be several millimeters in length.

Arkema's proposed plant will be located in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques region in southwestern France and will have a production capacity of 400 tons per year. The facility will use an innovative carbon vapor deposition process. The plant will also have the distinction of being the only CNT production plant in the world that uses an entirely bio-sourced raw material--ethylene obtained from corn.

In 2003, Arkema began studying CNTs and investigating possible applications. In 2006, the company began operating its first pilot laboratory in Lacq, France, which was capable of producing 20 tons per year of CNTs, produced under the trademark Graphistrength. The CNTs currently produced under the Graphistrength brand are of the multi-walled type, consisting of allotropic carbon aligned in a cylindrical structure to form concentric coils of graphite planes.

CNTs possess remarkable thermal and electrical conductivity properties, combined with outstanding mechanical strength. They are particularly suitable for use as additives for coatings and materials in the automotive, sports and electronic industries. CNTs can be added to any type of thermoplastic, metal or ceramic material, resulting in significant improvements in mechanical strength and have been used in high-stress applications varying from wind turbine blades to golf clubs.

As an additive to coatings, CNTs can be used to enhance paints, adhesives and inks, and have the ability to add electrical conductivity to a material. They can also be added to battery electrodes, fuel cells and supercapacitors, where they extend product lifetime by increasing the number of charge-discharge cycles.

Arkema was formed in 2004 following the reorganization of the chemical division of Total SA (NYSE:TOT) (Paris, France). The company now has more than 15,200 employees worldwide and operates 80 industrial facilities in the U.S., Europe and Asia. Arkema is organized into three basic operating segments: Industrial Chemicals, Performance Products, and Vinyl Products, which account for 46%, 28%, and 26%, respectively, of the company's total sales. The Arkema Group currently earns more than $8.2 billion in total revenues.

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