German specialty chemicals company Evonik has invested in plant expansion for fumed aluminium oxide at its site in Yokkaichi, Japan.
The facility will be the company’s first alumina plant in Asia, and will focus on the production of specialty solutions for lithium-ion battery technologies used for electric vehicles (EVs).
The investment, which the company said is at “mid-double-digit million euros”, means construction will start this summer. The expansion is due to become operational in 2025 and is supported by Japanese government funding.
Evonik said by 2030, it aims to invest more than €3 billion in solutions including battery technologies for EVs. Its AEROXIDE aluminium oxide for ultra-thin separator coatings for lithium-ion batteries enables more mileage for EVs, it said. It also improves safe usage and fast charging, it said.
The Yokkaichi team has long experience of fumed oxide production processes, according to the company. For more than 50 years, the site has been operating in a JV with Mitsubishi Materials Corporation and serves as production hub for a broad range of fumed oxides.
Evonik said the fumed aluminium oxide production expansion is part of a network of eight fumed oxide production sites globally. It is a key milestone in the strategic growth plan for specialty applications. The facility offers good access to China, Japan, and Korea.
Separately, Evonik said it invested €150 million in Chinese battery specialist SuperC. It regards the company as a technological leader in graphene materials that improve the range, robustness, charging speed and service life of lithium-ion batteries.
SuperC has developed a process to produce few-layer graphene (FLG) and, in turn, pastes for electrodes in lithium-ion batteries. The addition of graphene increases the electrical and thermal conductivity of the batteries for faster charging and better overall performance, said Evonik. The batteries become also more temperature insensitive. This saves on cooling requirements and reduces the risk of fire.
