MOSCOW (MRC) -- LANXESS will enter the battery chemistry business with electrolyte production for lithium-ion batteries at its site in Leverkusen, Germany, beginning next year, said the company.
The German chemicals company will produce electrolyte formulations for lithium-ion batteries "under the authorisation" of Guangzhou Tinci Materials Technology, a Chinese producer of battery materials that aims to become a regional supplier for battery cell manufacturers in Europe.
The upswing in e-mobility offers “great opportunities” for LANXESS, said Anno Borkowsky, a member of the company’s management board. “We already produce many raw materials for battery manufacturing. The cooperation with Tinci is another step in establishing ourselves in this market," he said.
LANXESS produces hydrofluoric acid and phosphorous chemicals, which are both raw materials for the production of the high-purity conductive salt lithium hexafluorophosphate (LiPF6). In the US, the company is working on the commercial extraction of battery-grade lithium from brine.
As per MRC, LANXESS announced a global price increase for iron oxide and chrome oxide pigments with immediate effect. The company’s inorganic pigments business unit is the world’s largest manufacturer of synthetic iron oxides and a leading producer of inorganic chrome oxides. Prices for iron oxide pigments have been hiked by EUR110/metric ton (USD132), with chrome oxide pigment prices rising by EUR220/metric ton. Customers will be contacted individually regarding the specifics of the measure as it applies to their products or regions, it says.
As per MRC, Russia's output of chemical products rose in February 2021 by 5.3% year on year. Thus, production of basic chemicals increased year on year by 7.5% in the first two months of 2021. According to the Federal State Statistics Service of the Russian Federation, mineral fertilizers accounted for the greatest increase in the January-February output. Production of benzene dropped to 113,000 tonnes in February 2021, compared to 120,000 tonnes a month earlier. Overall output of this product reached 241,000 tonnes over the stated period, down by 7.5% year on year.
LANXESS is a leading specialty chemicals company with about 19,200 employees in 25 countries. The company is currently represented at 74 production sites worldwide. The core business of Lanxess is the development, manufacturing and marketing of chemical intermediates, additives, specialty chemicals and plastics. Through Arlanxeo, the joint venture with Saudi Aramco, Lanxess is also a leading supplier of synthetic rubber.
MRC