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Chemours invests in hydrogen economy

Chemours has announced a planned $200 million investment to increase capacity and advance technology for its industry-leading Nafion ion exchange materials. The company is now evaluating potential locations in the US and Europe for the investment, in accordance with applicable regulatory frameworks.

Umicore in further battery deal

Following on from other recent announcements in the field, Umicore has announced a 5-50, €3 billion joint venture to supply precursor and cathode material production to the European battery cell factories of PowerCo, the Volkswagen Group’s battery company. No site has yet been chosen.

This will begin in 2025 by supplying PowerCo’s factory in Salzgitter. They aim to reach 40 GWh cell/year capacity in 2026 and to quadruple that to 160 by 2030, depending on market and demand development. This would be equivalent to what is needed to power about 2.2 million full electric vehicles.

Kao joins PKO alternative platform

Japan’s Kao Corporation has joined the $120 million venture previously announced by Genomatica and Unilever to scale and commercialise plant-based alternatives to palm kernel oil. The firm described this is as a key move towards meeting goals of becoming carbon-neutral by 2040 carbon-negative by 2050, by making responsibly sourced palm oil and derivatives a critical feedstock.

Solvay to invest in rare earth magnets

Solvay is to expand its rare earths operations in La Rochelle, France, to enter the value chain for permanent magnets based on alloys of rare earths. These are mostly imported into Europe at present and many rare earths are in short supply. The company itself claims to be the technology leader in their separation, recycling, purification, finishing and formulation.

Toray opens Singapore centre

Japan’s Toray Industries has announced that it opened a research centre in Singapore in June. The centre is carrying out R&D into ‘electronic information materials’ and providing technical support in Southeast Asia. The company as a whole is seeking to build a global R&D structure spanning Japan, Korea and China.

Altana, Covestro exit 3D printing

Altana and Covestro have separately made exits from the 3D printing market, in each case selling to a specialist in the field. The former has sold its stake in 3D printing systems manufacturer DP Polar to 3D Systems, while the latter is to sell its Additive Manufacturing business to Stratasys.

Livent to supply GM

Livent has signed a sourcing agreement, under which it will supply General Motors (GM) with battery-grade lithium hydroxide for six years from 2025. GM intends to use this in its battery cathodes, which will power electric vehicles such as the recently revealed Chevrolet Blazer EV (pictured), Chevrolet Silverado EV, GMC Hummer EV and Cadillac Lyriq.

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