The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) has pledged €2.2 million in funds for a project by the BASF-supported Catalysis Research Laboratory (CaRLa) and hte AG, a company in which BASF has a majority interest. The goal of the project, which takes place with the cooperation of research scientists at Technische Universitaet Muenchen (TUM) and the University of Stuttgart, is to make economical and ecological use of carbon dioxide (CO2) on an industrial scale – through the production of sodium acrylate based on CO2 and ethene. Sodium acrylate is a key basic ingredient for highperformance polymers like the superabsorbent polymers used in diapers. BASF and hte have earmarked another €1.7 million for the project in the coming few years to top up the BMBF funding. "We are delighted to have secured BMBF funding," said Dr. Michael Limbach, overall coordinator of the project and project manager at BASF. "It enables the search for optimum catalysts and process conditions for this as yet unknown reaction to continue on a team with leading global specialists." To help achieve that goal, research scientists at the Heidelberg-based CaRLa, the lab held jointly by BASF and the University of Heidelberg, and at hte are developing special homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts that function in a mild reaction environment. The research partners are also seeking ways to separate the catalyst at the end of the reaction to enable its subsequent re-use. The research scientists are supported in their search by hte's state of the art high throughput screening methods. "Our technology platform ideally equips us to generate information rapidly and on a broad basis," said Dr. Stephan Schunk, hte project manager. "The parallel testing method developed by us is a fast way of identifying promising candidates.“ This timesaving and effective method has also netted hte a nomination for this year's German Future Prize.
BASF announced its investment in a new citral plant as part of its Verbund site in Zhanjiang, China, and menthol and linalool downstream plants at its Verbund site in Ludwigshafen, Germany. These plants are expected to come on stream from 2026 onwards. The investment is driven by a growing ... more
BASF shows resilience in a challenging market environment
BASF Group has shown resilience in the 2022 business year in a challenging market environment that was dominated by the consequences of the war in Ukraine and in particular by increased raw material and energy prices. As Dr. Martin Brudermüller, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors, ... more
Efficient recovery of lithium from end-of-life batteries and battery production scrap
BASF has entered into a long-term collaboration agreement with Tenova Advanced Technologies (TAT) of Yokneam, Israel, for its battery recycling prototype plant in Schwarzheide, Germany. Both companies agreed to jointly optimize the hydrometallurgical recycling process, leveraging TAT’s nove ... more
Industrial implementation of the ammonia synthesis - How does it work?
In September 1913, the first industrial-scale ammonia production plant came on stream at BASF in Ludwigshafen. The Haber-Bosch process for ammonia synthesis, which was first successfully operated at BASF Ludwigshafen in September 1913, was the decisive step into the age of mineral fertilize ... more
BASF Construction Solutions GmbH
BASF Construction Polymers GmbH, Trostberg, Germany, is a leading innovator and producer of construction and oilfield polymers. Our product portfolio for construction chemicals consists of superplasticizers, dispersants, plasticizers, rheology modifying agents, stabilizers, defoamers and ai ... more
2007 Formation of BASF Fuel Cell as leading supplier of fuel cell components 2006 BASF acquires PEMEAS 2005 E-TEK becomes division of PEMEAS 2004 Celanese and investors form PEMEAS 2003 BASF starts development of HC-membrane 2002 Strong IP position and manufacturing facility for Celt ... more
In order to be able to take advantage of the opportunities for profitable growth throughout the world, BASF is represented with production and sales facilities in all economic regions. Even though Europe is BASF's home market, the dynamic regions of North America, Asia and South America are ... more
Testing predictions in electrochemical nanosystems
Physicists at the Technische Universitaet Muenchen (TUM) are gearing up for experimental tests of findings they arrived at through theoretical considerations: that electrochemical reactions take place more rapidly on isolated, nanometer-scale electrodes than on their familiar macroscopic co ... more
SGL Group sponsors professorship for TU Munich
The SGL Group arranged with the Technical University of Munich to establish a chair for carbon fibers and carbon fiber composites. The Chair has initially been set up for eight years and will be funded by the SGL Group for a total of EUR4.8 million. Working in close cooperation with the fa ... more
Creating 3D objects with sound
Scientists from the Micro, Nano and Molecular Systems Lab at the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research and the Institute for Molecular Systems Engineering and Advanced Materials at Heidelberg University have created a new technology to assemble matter in 3D. Their concept uses multiple ... more
Joining forces: fast-as-lightning 3D microprinting with two lasers
Printing objects from plastic precisely, quickly, and inexpensively is the goal of many 3D printing processes. However, speed and high resolution remain a technological challenge. A research team from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Heidelberg University, and the Queensland Uni ... more
Microscopic Octopuses from a 3D Printer
Although just cute little creatures at first glance, the microscopic geckos and octopuses fabricated by 3D laser printing in the molecular engineering labs at Heidelberg University could open up new opportunities in fields such as microrobotics or biomedicine. The printed microstructures ar ... more
Evonik and Siemens Energy commissioned a pilot plant sponsored by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) that uses carbon dioxide and water to produce chemicals. The necessary energy is supplied by electricity from renewable sources. The pilot plant is located in Marl, ... more
BMBF Project NEMO: Research on New OLED Materials Successfully Concluded
After three years of intensive research in the field of new solution-processable materials for OLEDs (Organic Light-Emitting Diodes), Merck and ten other partners from industry and academia have successfully concluded the "New materials for OLEDs from solutions" (NEMO) project co-funded by ... more
BMBF Joint Project for New Chip Fabrication Technology
The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is sponsoring an extensive joint project headed by Carl Zeiss on EUV lithography (Extreme Ultra Violet). This new technology has major potential to further miniaturize microchips and will play a key role in increasing their perfor ... more
Ions and Rydberg-atoms: a bond between David and Goliath
Researchers of the University of Stuttgart have verified a novel binding mechanism forming a molecule between a tiny charged particle and in atomic measures gigantic Rydberg atom. The scientists could observe spatially resolved the molecule with the help of a self-build ion microscope. The ... more
Natural gas replacement for the chemical industry
Nearly all everyday items are produced from natural gas and crude oil. In light of the global climate change and energy independence, natural gas consumption must urgently be reduced. The spin-off “Cyclize” of the University of Stuttgart has developed a new procedure with which natural gas ... more
Real-life feeling at online video conferences
Video conferencing played a key role during the Covid-19 pandemic and is set to dominate many meetings in the future. To realize the true feeling of a face-to-face dialog, three dimensional video is required and yet the holographic technology is still missing. Researchers at the University ... more
SABIC and hte announce deepened partnership
On March 13, 2019, SABIC and hte extended plans for collaboration for five more years to increase efficiency through digitalization and high throughput technologies in catalysis research and development (R&D) in petrochemicals. Dr. Fahad Al-Sherehy, Vice President, Technology & Innovation, ... more
Catalyst evaluation pilot plant test
hte AG and Bayernoil Raffineriegesellschaft mbH have successfully concluded a pilot plant test to evaluate the performance of different hydrodesulfurization catalysts. The objective of the pilot plant test was to find the best suitable catalyst system for the catalytic hydrodesulfurization ... more
BASF to start up new FCC catalysts testing and research laboratory in Heidelberg
BASF has announced that it will start-up a new multi-million euro fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) catalysts testing and research laboratory at the hte Aktiengesellschaft (hte) facility in Heidelberg, Germany. The new BASF laboratory will begin operating in the first half of 2014, and will be ... more
