December 3, 2021: Carbon additives firm Birla Carbon has made a further move into battery technology by launching a range of additives for lead and lithium batteries at the Battery Show in Europe, which ran from November 30 until December 2.

The new portfolio of additives — known as Conductex i and Conductex e — have been engineered for lithium-ion and lead-acid batteries for the automotive, telecoms, motive power, energy storage and e-bike sectors.

“Birla Carbon’s moves into the battery market indicates our ambitions for growth as the demand for materials to support electric vehicles and other energy storage requirements escalates rapidly,” said Ann Schoeb, chief R&D officer.

“With this product portfolio, Birla Carbon is enhancing the contribution of carbons in advanced battery applications.

“Birla Carbon has always been present as a key supplier in the automotive industry. A natural adjacency is to leverage our deep knowledge of carbon and extend our capabilities to play in one of the largest growth markets that energy storage represents.

“We see an increasing shift towards more sustainable supply chains, which fits well with our ambitions, for example the announcement of net zero carbon emissions in 2050.”

Schoeb said that while lithium batteries are the focus of much development and growth, “we see that lead-acid batteries are also set for positive growth in the coming years. Factors like a growing automotive sector and the low cost of lead-acid batteries are likely to drive the market”.

The firm says its new carbon black additives provide high conductivity and purity while enabling manufacturers the formulation flexibility needed for the variety of lead-acid battery applications.