NEWS
IN BRIEF
Saudi partnership Through its UAE-based , majorityowned subsidiary Trychem , Brenntag has formed a 75 / 25 joint venture with Al-Azzaz Chemicals of Saudi Arabia , one of largest speciality chemicals distributors in the Arabian Peninsula . Closing is expected in August . Al-Azzaz is active in areas including food , materials , plastics and pharmaceuticals .
Sunliquid production begins Clariant has produced the first commercial cellulosic ethanol at its Sunliquid plant in Podari , Romania , with the entire off-take being contracted to Shell under a multi-year agreement . This follows a six-month commissioning process . The plant will make about 50,000 tonnes / year of biofuel additives with further applications in biochemicals and aviation fuels .
First ECH plant in India Meghmani Finechem has commissioned India ’ s first epichlorohydrin ( ECH ) plant . This is based on the glycerol process , in which the major raw material , glycerine , is 100 % renewable . Hitherto , all of the 80,000 tonnes / year of ECH used in India has been imported . About 80 % goes into epoxy resins but it is also used in pharmaceutical , water treatment and paper chemical applications .
Expansion for Merck Merck KGaA ’ s Life Science business sector has doubled its HPAPI capacity by expanding its facility in Verona , Wisconsin , which was the second in the world to be SafeBridge-certified . A new € 59 million , 650 m 2 facility , officially opened on 23 June , adding 50 new jobs . Merck said that this positions it as one of the world ’ s largest single-digit nanogram OEL CDMO providers .
Multiple firms in battery advances
Umicore has agreed to develop high-performance catholyte materials for solid-state batteries with Japan ’ s Idemitsu Kosan , uniting their respective expertise in cathode active materials ( CAMs ) for lithiumion batteries and high-purity lithium sulfide . Catholytes combine CAMs and solid electrolytes , enabling solid-state batteries to achieve better performance . The company has also recently inaugurated its 30,000 m 2 R & D centre for CAMs next to its R & D centre and production plants in Cheonan , Korea . Research will focus on next-generation battery materials , including very high-nickel nickel-cobaltmanganese oxide ( NMC ), low-cobalt NMC and manganese-rich chemistries , as well as solid-state battery materials technology . Separately , Umicore has signed a long-term strategic supply agreement for electric vehicle ( EV ) CAMs with Automotive Cells Company ( ACC ), which is jointly owned by Stellantis , Mercedes-Benz and TotalEnergies . Under this , it will supply next-generation high nickel materials from its site in Nysa , Poland , to ACC ’ s planned gigfactories in France , Germny and Italy .
The long-term agreement will start with an off-take commitment of 13 GWh / year to a major European car manufacturer , with the first commercial volumes expected in early 2024 . Umicore and ACC see potential to increase this to at least 46 GWh / year by 2030 . Meanwhile , BASF Shanshan Battery Materials , BASF ’ s 51-49 joint venture in China , has announced plans to add capacity for CAMs to 100,000 tonnes / year at sites in Changsha , Hunan province , and Shuizuishan in Ningxia province ( pictured ). This is being done to address booming demand in EVs . Due to start up in Q4 , the new production lines are designed with high flexibility to produce high-nickel and ultra-high-nickel NCM for polycrystalline and single crystalline prodcuts , as well as manganese-rich NCM products . They also feature energy recovery technologies , including off-gas , waste heat and oxygen recycling , a first in the industry . BASF will also build a commercial-scale battery plant for the recycling of black mass at its CAM hub in Schwarzheide , eastern Germany , where many EV car manufacturers and cell producers are located . Start-up is planned for early 2024 . Black mass production is the first step in the recycling process and is based on mechanical treatment of the batteries , yielding a high amount of CAM metals . Livent has formed an R & D collaboration agreement on lithium metal technology for high-performance battery cells with Munich-based Lilium , which has itself developed the first all-electric vertical take-off and landing jet . Lilium COO Yves Yemsi called this “ a milestone in Lilium ’ s commitment to revolutionise regional air travel ”. Nippon Shokubai and Arkema are establishing a joint venture for the construction of an industrial plant for lithium bis ( fluorosulfonyl ) imide ( LiFSI ) ultrapure electrolyte salts at Arkema ’ s Pierre-Bénite site in France by 2026 . This will combine Arkema ’ s fluorochemicals expertise with Nippon Shokubai ’ s in industrial-scale production of high-purity LiFSI .
Finally , Sasol Chemicals and Lotte Chemical have agreed to conduct a prefeasibility study of a joint project for a plant to produce battery-grade electrolyte solvents at one of the former ’ s sites in the US or Germany . These help to power Li-ion batteries by allowing lithium ions to travel more easily between anode and cathode .
8 SPECIALITY CHEMICALS MAGAZINE ESTABLISHED 1981