BASF launches the first industrial plant for 3D-printed catalysts to boost efficiency and cut energy use in reactors.
Chemical giant BASF has started up what it calls the world’s first industrial-scale production plant for 3D-printed catalysts, marking a shift in how chemical processes can be optimized at scale.The new facility at Ludwigshafen brings additive manufacturing into catalyst production, allowing engineers to design internal structures that were not possible with conventional methods.
These structures are aimed at improving how gases and liquids flow through reactors.Catalysts play a central role in chemical manufacturing, accelerating reactions used to produce fuels, fertilizers, and industrial chemicals. Any improvement in their design can directly affect output, efficiency, and energy use across large-scale plants.With X3D technology, BASF says it can produce catalysts with open geometries that reduce resistance inside reactors while increasing the active surface area where reactions take place. This combination is expected to boost throughput and reduce energy consumption.Designing better catalystsThe ability to control geometry is at the core of the technology. Traditional catalysts are often limited in shape, but additive manufacturing allows more complex internal designs that improve performance under industrial conditions.According to BASF, this leads to lower pressure drop in reactors, which means less energy is needed to push materials through the system. At the same time, a higher active surface area improves how efficiently reactions occur, resulting in better product output.The company says the technology is not new to the market but has already been used in real production environments. The new plant is intended to scale up availability and speed up deployment.In 2025, a production plant operated by An Hui Jintung in China adopted BASF’s sulfuric acid catalysts based on X3D technology. “The plant started up smoothly, and plant performance has significantly improved compared to before. Production achieved a record high, generating substantial economic benefits for our company,” said Eter Zhu, General Manager at An Hui Jintung.Scaling industrial deploymentThe Ludwigshafen facility is designed to expand production capacity and make the technology accessible to more customers. BASF says the approach works across a wide range of catalyst types, including both precious and base metals.“We are pleased that X3D technology already gives our customers a real competitive edge: We can supply catalysts tailored precisely to their specific chemical processes – quickly and in large quantities,” said Detlef Ruff, Senior Vice President Chemical Catalysts and Adsorbents at BASF.By tailoring catalysts to specific reactions, the company aims to improve how efficiently raw materials are used while increasing overall production performance. This could help industries reduce waste and energy consumption in large-scale operations.“I am truly excited to see these groundbreaking innovations and honored to take on the responsibility for a business that serves as a key enabler of chemical reactions,” said Yaqian Liu, who will succeed Detlef Ruff as of April 1.The move signals a broader shift toward using advanced manufacturing techniques in core industrial processes, where even small efficiency gains can translate into significant cost and energy savings.
Additive Manufacturing BASF Catalysts Chemical Engineering Energy Efficiency Industrial Tech Reactors
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