Birla Carbon, one of the world’s leading suppliers of carbon black, has developed an innovative product for lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles. To ensure the industrially clean and safe packaging of this valuable ultra-fine powder into bags, the company relies on Greif-Velox’s advanced packaging technology at its production site in San Martino di Trecate near Milan. For Birla Carbon, this partnership not only ensures a secure packaging solution but also expands its product portfolio and access to new markets.
Carbon black is widely used in industries, particularly in plastics and tires, where the addition of up to 40% carbon black improves durability and physical structure. However, a lesser known but highly interesting application is in electromobility: a particularly fine, electrically conductive carbon black can significantly enhance battery efficiency.
Birla Carbon is now launching a specially developed low-density, high-conductivity carbon black variant for lithium-ion batteries, optimizing the electrical networks in batteries even under high charge cycles. “Many experts see our product as a revolution in carbon black production,” says Zachary Combs, R&D Director Energy Systems at Birla Carbon.
Handling Challenges: Carbon Black
The ultra-fine structure of carbon black presents unique challenges in handling and packaging. “If such a bag is opened without appropriate precautions, the particles escape because their density is lower than that of air,” explains Combs. Therefore, Birla Carbon required a closed and fully automated packaging solution that covers the entire process— from feeding and filling to sealing and palletizing. Cleanliness during production and delivery was a crucial factor, as lithium-ion battery manufacturing demands particularly high purity. “The black powder must not, under any circumstances, interfere with our customers’ processes,” emphasizes Combs.
Dust-Free Bagging with High Performance: The VeloVac Solution
The bagging and packaging process must be dust-free and highly efficient, achievable only through specialized machine solutions. For this reason, Birla Carbon chose the VeloVac from Greif-Velox, a vacuum filling system that ensures a clean and efficient packaging process. “The system convinced us during internal tests with its high degree of automation and clean, visually appealing filling results—an essential advantage for supplying the electromobility sector.” The full-line system was successfully commissioned in June 2024.
Scalability of Production Capacity
Bagging carbon black is considered the "supreme discipline" in packaging due to its properties. The ultra-light particles remain airborne for a long time and can cause persistent contamination of the environment. The VeloVac vacuum packer from Greif-Velox was specifically developed for powdery materials and can process particles with bulk densities between 10 and 350 g/l and grain sizes below 200 µm.
In the VeloVac vacuum chamber, carbon black is drawn into the bags through atmospheric negative pressure. At the same time, escaping dust is extracted and reintegrated into the process. Compared to conventional methods, this vacuum process enables up to 75% higher product compaction, reducing packaging material usage, transport and logistics costs, and the CO₂ footprint. After filling, the bags are sealed completely airtight using the ultrasonic sealing unit ValvoSeal, which has a sealing rate of more than 99%. The patented "waffle pattern" method prevents any product leakage and ensures optimal bag cleanliness, which is essential for battery production.
With this system, Birla Carbon can fill up to 33 bags of 100 liters each per hour using three filling spouts, ensuring consistent fill volume and allowing for scalable production capacity. Additionally, with battery manufacturers in mind, Birla Carbon places particular emphasis on precise palletizing. The VeloPack palletizing robot enables efficient, space-saving palletization of the bags and adjusts the stacking height flexibly.
Complete Automation as the Key to Success
Thanks to the Greif-Velox full-line system, Birla Carbon has automated the entire packaging process, from material feeding to the finished pallet. The system operates 24/7, requiring intervention only for maintenance. “The turnkey complete solution from Greif-Velox creates a globally unique packaging process for us,” says Combs. “Without this automated and clean solution, we would not be able to market our innovative product successfully.” At the same time, the new packaging line provides valuable insights for optimization at other production sites. Combs adds, “We already have the next generation of materials in sight—and for that, we also need next-generation production processes.”