Our solutions: Products for climate protection

Efficient and environmentally friendly insulation materials

Neopor^® – energy-efficient facade insulation

Over 50 years ago, BASF invented a classic product for efficient insulation, known worldwide under the trade name Styropor^®.

With Neopor^®, we have taken this classic a step further. The novel feature of this product is the addition of black graphite particles which improve the insulation performance by up to 20 percent.

Insulating an old building so that the heating energy requirement of 21 liters of fuel oil per square meter per year drops to 7 liters means that less insulation material is needed than when using conventional Styropor^®.

Styrodur^® - energy-efficient allrounder insulation board

It was in 1964 that BASF began producing this green insulation board. Nowadays, Styrodur^® is a synonym for XPS in whole Europe and stands for diverse applications, robustness and highest compressive strength.

In 2015 the new generation was born: Thermally welded Styrodur^® with one single Lambda value over the whole thickness range.

An analysis shows that the volumes of Styropor^®, Neopor^® and Styrodur^® sold in 2019 help our customers to save 62 million metric tons of CO₂ emissions over the entire lifecycles of these products when used to insulate existing buildings. This calculation is based on a lifecycle analysis that takes into account the production and disposal of the insulation materials and compares the energy consumption of a renovated building with that of an unrenovated building over a period of 50 years. The calculation of avoided greenhouse gas emissions took into account the chemical industry standards of the International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).

BASF also offers biomass balance (BMB) versions of Styropor^®, Neopor^® and Styrodur^®. In accordance with an externally certified mass balancing method, 100% of the fossil raw materials used in the production of these BMB products are replaced by renewable raw materials such as bio-naphtha or biogas. This saves carbon emissions and fossil resources during the manufacturing process. Together with the German EPS insulation manufacturer Bachl, we calculated in a lifecycle analysis that the use of renewable raw materials reduces carbon emissions from the production of Neopor^® BMB by 66% compared with conventionally produced Neopor^® products (based on one cubic meter of insulation board).

Polyurethanes – energy-efficient all-rounders

Their outstanding insulation properties mean that polyurethane (PU) rigid foam systems are used in a number of cold and heat insulation applications. In addition to energy and cost savings, PU rigid foam offers architects freedom of design and additional living space due to slimmer construction options and as a result is used in house-building in a number of roof, wall and floor applications. Elastopor^® and Elastopir^® rigid foams are also used as the core material in sandwich panels, for example as facade and roof elements in cold stores and storage facilities. PU rigid foam is also a preferred option in refrigerators and freezers and for insulating hot water tanks, as well as insulation for district heating pipes.

Other innovative climate protection products for thermal insulation applications include BASF’s new high-performance polyurethane-based and mineral-based insulation materials, SLENTITE^® and SLENTEX^®, which are thinner and even more efficient than conventional insulation materials.

Plastics and additives for greater sustainability in the mobility sector

Innovation in surface technology reduces emissions in cargo air traffic

In a joint project, Lufthansa Technik and BASF have developed a surface film that mimics the properties of sharkskin and therefore optimizes the aerodynamics on flow-related parts of the aircraft. The lower the frictional resistance of an aircraft in the air, the lower the fuel consumption. From the beginning of 2022, BASF’s Novaflex Sharkskin technology is to be used on Lufthansa Cargo's entire freighter fleet, making the aircraft even more economical and reducing emissions.

For use on Lufthansa Cargo's ten Boeing 777F freighter aircraft, Lufthansa Technik expects a friction reduction of more than one percent. For the entire fleet of ten aircraft, this translates to annual savings of around 3,700 tons of kerosene and just under 11,700 tons of CO₂ emissions, which is the equivalent of 48 individual freight flights from Frankfurt to Shanghai.

BASF also wants to help customers achieve their sustainability goals with functional surface films beyond aviation, for example in the wind power industry.

High-performance additives relieve the burden on climate

BASF's Keropur^® fuel additives are mixed in small quantities with the fuel and produce better combustion in the engine. As a result, fuel consumption is reduced and premature wear on the engine is prevented, which in turn reduces the output of pollutants and greenhouse gases.

A test BASF performed jointly with a leading petroleum company on a fleet of vehicles over 64,000 kilometers showed that a premium additive package reduced pollutant emissions by 20 percent and improved average fuel economy by upto 2 percent. An eco-efficiency analysis comparing fuel with and without additive clearly showed that Keropur^® fuel additives contribute significantly to climate and environmental protection.

The use of fertilizers releases large quantities of nitrous oxide through the decomposition of nitrogen compounds in the soil. BASF’s nitrification inhibitor ensures that the ammonium contained in fertilizers is metabolized more slowly by bacteria in the soil, thus resulting in a reduction in nitrous oxide. The fertilizer can supply crops with nutrients more efficiently, and the crop requires fertilization much less frequently. This decreases greenhouse gas emissions. The impact on groundwater is reduced by the nitrification inhibitor as well.

Chemistry makes wind power more economic

BASF supports the deployment of wind power as a climate-friendly source of energy. BASF’s innovative solutions are a contributory factor in the more efficient manufacturing and maintenance of rotor blades, bases, towers and gears for wind turbine systems.

Amine hardeners for high-performance epoxy resin rotor blades

Larger rotor blades help modern wind turbine systems increase performance. Epoxy-based composites have become established as the material for manufacturing these rotor blades. BASF offers amine hardeners for these two-component systems under the trade name Baxxodur™.

In order to be able to produce large defect-free blades, the components used in the system should not react too rapidly when filling the molds. At the same time, the epoxy resin systems should not cure rapidly in the mold, so that this is then free for manufacturing the next blade. BASF has developed specialty hardeners specifically for manufacturing large fiber composite structures. They can be used to produce systems that react slowly when the mold is filled and rapidly on curing, which means that manufacturers of rotor blades for wind turbine systems can reduce production times by up to 30 percent and increase their productivity. BASF is therefore making an important contribution to increasing the profitability of wind power as a climate-friendly source of energy.

High-energy, Long-duration Stationary Energy Storage

NAS^® batteries are designed for stationary energy storage and boast an array of superior features, such as large capacity, long duration, long life, enhanced safety and environmental benignity. They ensure a reliable power supply at all times. The applications for the batteries range from renewable enhancement and upgrade deferral to microgrid solutions.

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