Imerys Graphite and Carbon inaugurated the expansion of its carbon black plant in Willebrook, Belgium, last week (27/11/14), taking the output to 9,000 tonnes per annum.
The company produces 12 grades of carbon black, mainly for the lithium-ion battery industry and claims it is the “greenest producer in the industry” compared to the mined pitch-based carbons.
Imerys has also been selected by the Japanese ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry to establish an R&D centre in the country to focus on high performance carbons for the energy storage market.
The plant expansion represents the increasing importance of carbon-based products in the company portfolio, from applications including additives for lead-acid batteries through to bi-polar plates for fuel cells.
