Lanxess enters battery chemistry

Lanxess has announced that it will be entering the battery chemistry business from 2022. It will produce electrolyte formulations for lithium-ion batteries for China’s Guangzhou Tinci Materials Technology using a plant operated by Saltigo in Germany. Further details were not disclosed.

The company already produces numerous chemicals and materials for battery cells. It is one of Europe’s main manufacturers of hydrofluoric acid and phosphorus chemicals, which are both used in the high-purity conductive salt, lithium hexafluorophosphate. It is also working on the commercial extraction of battery-grade lithium from the brine it uses in bromine extraction at El Dorado, Arkansas.

Tinci, meanwhile, is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of conductive salts and electrolytes. It has three production sites for electrolyte formulations in China, with three more under construction. The co-operation with Lanxess will enable it to become a domestic manufacturer for the European market.