Thermal contract manufacturing and material development – from laboratory trial to industrial production
IBU-tec advanced materials AG
Weimar (Hainweg 9-11) · Nohra (Österholzstraße 5) · Bitterfeld-Wolfen (Riechstoffstraße 5)New on Amplifa
About IBU-tec
IBU-tec advanced materials AG is a service provider specializing in thermal process technology, headquartered in Weimar. The company develops and produces inorganic powders, granulates and battery materials – including cathode-active materials (LFP, LMFP, NMO) as well as anode materials such as synthetic graphite and hard carbon. As part of tolling and contract manufacturing, calcination, sintering, pyrolysis, drying, reduction, coating & impregnation as well as mixing, granulation and agglomeration processes are carried out, from a few kilograms to 50 tonnes per day. The equipment park comprises 16 rotary kilns and 8 pulsation reactors, supplemented by spray drying, mills, screening technology, an analytics laboratory and an e-chemistry laboratory. Customers come from the battery and chemical industries, automotive, pharmaceuticals, building materials and glass sectors as well as catalyst preparation. Production takes place in Weimar and in the ChemiePark Bitterfeld-Wolfen; the logistics center in Nohra (8,700 m²) handles storage and shipping. Founded in 1885, the company employs around 150 staff with an annual capacity of 20,000 tonnes.
- Site
- Weimar
- Processes
- Calcination, Sintering, Pyrolysis, Reduction, Drying, Doping, Coating & Impregnation, Agglomeration
- Materials
- Iron Oxide (Fe2O3), Zinc Oxide (ZnO), Alumina (Al2O3), Cerium Oxide (CeO2), Yttrium Aluminate (YAlO3), Zirconia (ZrO2), Lithium Iron Phosphate LFP402, Lithium Iron Phosphate LFP400
- Certificates
- ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015, ISO 50001:2018, Halal (Kosher & Halal), EcoVadis Sustainability Certificate, ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 50001, Halal/Kosher, EcoVadis
- Founded
- 1885
- Employees
- 150
- Industries
- Battery/energy storage industry (lithium-ion, sodium-ion), Chemical industry, Automotive industry, Pharmaceuticals, Cement/building materials, Glass/optics/electronics (polishing agents)
- 01
Consulting & feasibility studies
- 02
Material development & laboratory analytics
- 03
Laboratory and pilot trials
- 04
Scale-up to industrial production
- 05
Thermal contract manufacturing (calcination, sintering, pyrolysis, drying,
- 06
Post-treatment (milling, screening, mixing, filling)
- 07
Quality control in the analytics laboratory
- 08
Logistics & warehousing services
Sites
Weimar
DEHeadquarters and production (Hainweg 9-11)
- Lot size
- few kg to 50 t/day
- Materials
- Battery materials, powder oxides, catalyst supports, bulk materials
- 16 rotary kilns (including indirectly fired IDO10, 2016)
- 8 pulsation reactors
- Spray dryers
- Mixers
- Mills
- Screening technology
- Filling and transfer equipment
- Conveying and dosing technology
- Exhaust gas treatment (DeNOx, thermal oxidation, gas scrubbers, filters)
- Analytics laboratory
- E-chemistry laboratory
Nohra
DELogistics center (Österholzstraße 5)
- 8,700 m² logistics space incl. 500 m² office
Bitterfeld-Wolfen
DEProduction site in the ChemiePark (Riechstoffstraße 5)
- Materials
- Battery materials, chemical precursors
- Rotary kilns (first in operation since 2019)
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CalcinationHeat treatment | – | – | – | 50 t/day (tolling) | inorganic bulk materials, powders, suspensions, silicates, carbonates and nitrates, oxides, hydroxides and mixed oxides, phosphates, sulfates, carbon |
| SinteringHeat treatment | – | – | – | 50 t/day (tolling) | Cement clinker, inorganic bulk materials, ceramic precursors |
| PyrolysisHeat treatment | – | – | – | 50 t/day (tolling) | Polymers, petroleum coke, organic precursor compounds |
| ReductionHeat treatment | – | – | – | 50 t/day (tolling) | inorganic bulk materials |
| DryingHeat treatment | – | – | – | 50 t/day (tolling) | inorganic bulk materials, suspensions |
| DopingHeat treatment | – | – | – | – | cathode-active materials, inorganic powders |
| Coating & ImpregnationSurface | – | – | – | – | Glass (tin chemistry coatings), catalyst supports |
| AgglomerationForming | – | – | – | – | powders, granulates |
| GranulationForming | – | – | – | – | powders |
| MixingJoining | – | – | – | – | powders, granulates, high-performance materials, sensitive powders |
| Thermal shock treatment (Pulsation Reactor)Heat treatment | – | – | – | 0.1 to 2 seconds residence | Ultra-fine powders, nano and submicro powders |
| Tolling / Contract Manufacturing (thermal contract manufacturing)Heat treatment | – | – | few kilograms – 50 t/day | few kilograms – 50 t/day | catalysts and catalyst supports, battery materials, aluminium oxides, ceramic precursors, abrasives and polish, pigments, absorbents, filter granulates, proppants |
| Material & Process Development (laboratory/pilot/scale-up)Engineering | – | – | – | laboratory/pilot quantity | battery materials, catalyst supports, building materials, inorganic bulk materials |
| Engineering & Optimization (Rotary Kilns)Engineering | – | – | – | – | – |
| Spray dryingHeat treatment | – | – | – | – | suspensions, solutions |
| Analytics / Material analysisTesting | – | – | – | – | ICP-OES, XRD, free alkali and clinker analysis (cement) |
12 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rotary Kiln | IDO10 (indirect fired, installed 2016) | 16 | – | – | Weimar |
| Pulsation Reactor | – | 8 | – | – | Weimar |
| Rotary Kiln | – | – | – | – | Bitterfeld-Wolfen |
| Spray Dryer | – | – | – | – | – |
| Mixers | – | – | – | – | – |
| Mills | – | – | – | – | – |
| Screens (Screening technology) | – | – | – | – | – |
| Filling & Refilling Equipment | – | – | – | – | – |
| Analytics Laboratory | – | – | – | – | Weimar |
| E-Chemistry Laboratory | – | – | – | – | – |
| Conveying and Dosing Equipment (screw conveyors, vibrating chutes, pneumatic conveyors, | – | – | – | – | – |
| Exhaust Gas Treatment (DeNOx, thermal oxidizers, gas scrubbers, dust filters) | – | – | – | – | – |
Additional services
Quality & Certification
Quality assurance is carried out through an integrated management system with risk management and continuous process monitoring; an analytics laboratory (including ICP-OES, XRD) accompanies every production step. Certifications according to DIN ISO 9001, 14001 and 50001 as well as Kosher and Halal certificates and the EcoVadis sustainability certificate are regularly audited by independent bodies.
| Evidence | Weimar | Nohra | Bitterfeld-Wolfen |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISO 9001 | |||
| ISO 14001 | |||
| ISO 50001 | |||
| Halal/Kosher | |||
| EcoVadis |
History
- 1885
Founding of a company producing decorative stone from travertine, later cast stone from quicklime in Weimar-Ehringsdorf.
- 1946
Resumption of lime production after the Second World War.
- 1948–1974
Operation as VEB Ehringsdorfer Kalk- und Travertinwerk; 1974 end of lime production.
- 1975
Takeover by the SKET Institute Weimar as a pilot plant; installation of the first rotary kiln.
- 1993
Privatization as 'Institut für Baustoff- und Umweltschutztechnologien' (IBU-tec).
- 2001
Ulrich Weitz takes over the company; start of catalyst research.
- 2005–2009
Patenting of processes for nano- and submicron powders in the pulsation reactor; construction of the largest pulsation reactor to date.
- 2016
Installation of the new indirectly fired rotary kiln IDO10.
- 2017
Initial public offering (IPO) of IBU-tec advanced materials AG; inauguration of the Nohra logistics center (8,700 m²).
- 2018
Acquisition of BNT Chemicals (tin chemistry, organometallic compounds).
- 2019
Opening of the Bitterfeld-Wolfen production site; first rotary kiln in operation.