Chemours (Wilmington, Delaware) has announced a USD200-million investment to increase capacity for its Nafion fluoropolymer copolymer ion exchange materials at its manufacturing facility in Villers-Saint-Paul, France, said the company.
The ion exchange materials are used for water electrolyzers, energy storage in flow batteries, and hydrogen conversion to power fuel cell vehicles to help support the clean hydrogen economy.
Chemours has an existing robust and reliable ion exchange material capacity in the US to help support the hydrogen supply chain and this new expansion will contribute to Europe’s energy transition as well as expand the Villers-Saint-Paul site’s capabilities to be able support and advance technological progress for the worldwide hydrogen economy, Chemours says.
“Chemours has chosen France for this investment in the hydrogen economy because of the strong alignment between our sustainable growth vision, the French government’s goal to create a reliable and strong hydrogen economy, and the European Union’s ambition to deliver a clean energy transition based on the objectives set in the EU Climate Law,” Mark Newman, Chemours’ president and CEO, says.
Despite robust growth in green hydrogen technologies, more urgent scaling-up of the hydrogen supply chain capacity remains critical in meeting clean hydrogen potential and escalating demand, Chemours says. The proton exchange membrane (PEM) technology is an advancement for its faster start-up; reliance on fewer components; and its smaller footprint, simpler maintenance, and zero emissions when used coupled with renewable energy, the company says.
We remind, Chemours Company (Wilmington, Del.) announced that it will be expanding its Chemours Opteon YF (HFO-1234yf) capacity to help meet customer needs as they continue transitioning to lower GWP refrigerants. The Opteon YF and YF blends refrigerants are now used in millions of vehicles and thousands of retail stores around the world, with zero ozone depletion potential (ODP) and global warming potential (GWP) that is significantly lower than the legacy refrigerants.
Chemours is committed to leadership in responsible manufacturing, and this capacity investment will contribute to its goal of shifting the company’s product portfolio to offerings that contribute to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). Chemours is evaluating potential locations in the United States and Europe for the investment in accordance with applicable regulatory frameworks and is particularly interested in supporting the local communities where they operate.
mrchub.com