Expansions: Syensqo breaks ground on lithium-grade PVDF facility in US; Domo opens nylon plant in China

Chemical firm Syensqo has broken ground on its new battery-grade polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) facility in Augusta, Georgia, US. When completed, the site will be the largest PVDF production facility in North America, the company said.

It will be supplying the growing needs of domestic energy storage markets. A significant milestone in Syensqo’s global electrification strategy, this facility will help create battery materials needed to unlock economy-wide electrification and electric vehicle (EV) adoption. PVDF is a thermoplastic fluoropolymer that is used as a lithium-ion binder and separator coating in batteries. Specifically, the new site will produce Solef, Syensqo’s signature PVDF product, which enables EVs to go farther on each charge, extends battery life and improves battery safety.

The site is estimated to produce enough PVDF for more than 5 million EV batteries/year at full capacity, or 45% of expected PVDF demand required by 2030, creating a new and reliable supply for the rapidly growing US EV battery market, as well as hundreds of jobs throughout the value chain.

The US Department of Energy’s Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains awarded Syensqo a US$178 million grant to help build this facility. The grant was awarded as part of the US Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to expand domestic manufacturing of batteries for EVs and the electrical grid. The facility will create approximately 500 local construction jobs to build the facility, and more than 100 highly skilled local manufacturing jobs to staff the facility once complete.

The Augusta facility is part of a joint venture between Syensqo and Orbia. In combination, Orbia’s raw material assets and production expertise and Syensqo’s Solef PVDF will ensure a consistent supply of a superior, high-quality, and consistent PVDF product that contributes to performance and battery longevity.

In other news, engineering materials supplier Domo Chemicals has inaugurated its newest plant in Haiyan, Jiaxing, Zhejiang, China. This significant milestone reinforces DOMO's determination to meet rising demand in the Chinese market for its Technyl polyamide.

The EUR14 million investment represents a potential doubling of Domo's commitment to the Chinese market, with the new plant capable of increasing the current capacity of 25,000 tonnes of polyamides to 35,000 tonnes and eventually 50,000 tonnes in the long term.

Covering an area of 40,000 sq m, the facility will cater to its customers in key sectors such as automotive, electronics, energy, industrial and consumer goods.

Since 2016, Domo Chemicals says it has experienced robust growth in China, marked by a series of capacity expansions at its Jiaxing facility. With a 20% increase in annual sales, the latest expansion efforts have resulted in the groundbreaking of the new plant in Haiyan.

Denny Meng, Operations Manager, points to the depth of Domo's loyal customer base in China: "We have built strong relationships with local and global customers in China. This initiative is in line with Domo's commitment to innovation and customer focus as we seek to establish an Asia-Pacific application development center to strengthen our presence in new and emerging Asian industries and markets. We are committed to quality and continue to emphasize safety and responsible employment.”

Domo Chemicals also continues to address some of the biggest trends shaping our world, such as urbanisation, modern mobility, lifestyle and miniaturisation. For example, the next generation of automobiles must be lighter and polyamides offer key advantages in terms of light weight, thermal management, durability and strength. By using polyamide-based components instead of metal alternatives, weight can be reduced and efficiency increased, ensuring that electric vehicles consume less energy and therefore run longer. A wide range of applications, including electrical, electronics, consumer and industrial goods, perform at their best by using polyamides.

As many of these sectors seek to move towards sustainable solutions, Domo says it is investing in renewable energy initiatives and advancing polyamide recycling technologies to reduce its environmental footprint while providing high performance and sustainable materials to its customers. For example, Domo's Technyl 4Earth recycled grades are now used in various high-demand applications such as power tools, safety knives or automotive parts.

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