LiFSI expansion in Japan

Japan’s Nippon Shokubai has decided to begin facility design for a new plant to make its Ionel brand of lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl) imide (LiFSI) electrolytes for lithium-ion batteries. The plant, at the site of the Nisshoku Techno Fine Chemical subsidiary, will have 2,000 tonnes/year of capacity. Construction will begin by the spring of 2023.

Demand is being driven, the company said, by the use of Ionel as both an electrolyte and the main salt in them, in Asia’s electric vehicle sector. It is expecting further strong growth, in part through the market trend and also because of its own technology to produce LiFSI in high purity, which is difficult to achieve”. It expects to achieve sales of about €80 million within a year.