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At the Battery Show in Stuttgart, LANXESS presented its solutions for e-mobility: sustainable and safe batteries.

The combustion engine is on its way out, e-mobility is on the rise. Critics of this political decision often point to the fact that the production of lithium-ion batteries isn’t very environmentally friendly. Where do the raw materials come from? What about the batteries? And are these batteries even safe? The majority of the batteries come from China. And this supply chain alone generates a considerable amount of carbon emissions. The latest analysis by the Europe-wide Transport & Environment Agency calculates that an estimated 133 million tons of carbon emissions could be saved by 2030 if the European demand for battery cells and components was manufactured locally. LANXESS can help achieve this goal. This is because the group offers a broad product portfolio for the manufacture of lithium-ion batteries and for applications in the field of electric mobility. This includes key raw materials and material solutions along the entire value chain. From June 18 to 20, the various business units presented these solutions at the Battery Show in Stuttgart. The exhibition is regarded as Europe’s largest trade show for the latest materials, technologies, and manufacturing processes in the rapidly growing electric mobility segment. “With our extensive portfolio of key raw materials and precursors, as well as our plants and sites in Europe, we can provide enormous support for the development of local value chains,” says Harry Zumaqué, Head of New Business Development, Corporate Development GF. “With our expertise in process development, we are also exploring new fields in the area of battery recycling and thereby actively promoting sustainability in cell manufacturing and chemical production.”

LANXESS Is Breaking New Ground
As a cathode active material in lithium-ion batteries, lithium iron phosphate (LFP) is emerging as a sustainable alternative to materials containing cobalt and nickel. According to forecasts, the demand for LFP will grow by 20 percent annually through 2030. LFP batteries are currently manufactured almost exclusively in China.

To reduce this dependency and also the carbon footprint for European manufacturers, LANXESS now offers customized precursors for LFP synthesis. These include new battery-grade iron oxides and iron phosphate, which LANXESS intends to start producing. With a production capacity of over 300,000 tons per year, the company is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of iron oxides and operates large-scale production sites in Germany and Brazil, among other places. “The lion’s share of iron oxides produced outside of China come from the IPG business unit’s production sites,” says Stefano Bartolucci, Specialties Market Segment Manager, IPG BU.

Recycling with Lewatit Resins
When it comes to sustainability, the LPT BU still sees many potential applications for its Lewatit ion exchange resins. They have proven themselves in ore processing, for example – they extract battery-grade nickel and cobalt, they refine, and they purify lithium concentrates of all kinds. These resins open up a further application in the field of battery production, namely lithium-ion battery recycling. “We produce selective Lewatit resins that can be used to extract battery grade metals such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, and manganese from black mass – i.e., shredded batteries. They can then be reused for cathode materials,” explains Dr. Dirk Steinhilber, Technical Marketing Manager, LPT BU.

At the end of the Battery Show, one thing was clear: e-mobility is becoming more sustainable and safer thanks to solutions from LANXESS.

The PLA BU offers highly effective phosphorus- and bromine-based flame retardants for high-performance plastics that are used in battery modules and housings, high-voltage plugs, and components in the charging infrastructure sector.
The color bright orange is used to enhance the safety of high-voltage components in electric cars and to protect first responders and mechanics in the event of accidents and maintenance work. The plastics dyed with BAYPLAST® Orange TP LXS 51137 – produced by the PLA BU – are characterized by a high degree of color stability, even at high temperatures.
Heat is generated when fast charging vehicle batteries, and it needs to be effectively dissipated. For this purpose, immersion coolants are used to cool the battery cells through direct contact. This is where the LAB BU stands out with synthetic fluids such as phosphoric acid esters. They are electrically nonconductive and flame retardant. These properties are essential in order to increase safety during fast charging.
In cooperation with Guangzhou Tinci Materials Technology Co. in Leverkusen, the Saltigo BU produces electrolyte formulations for manufacturers of lithium-ion battery cells. The Chinese company is one of the world’s leading producers of conductive salts and electrolytes and supplies European cell manufacturers with high-purity electrolyte formulations.
LANXESS is one of the leading manufacturers of anhydrous hydrofluoric acid, phosphorus chemicals, thionyl chloride, and fluorosulfonic acid. These are all important key raw materials required to produce conductive salts such as lithium hexafluorophosphate or lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide for electrolyte formulations. With their integrated plant network in Leverkusen, the AII and PLA BUs can play a major role in establishing local conducting salt production for sustainable cell manufacturing in Europe.
Phosphorus additives from the PLA BU, which are used as additives for nonflammable electrolytes, increase safety within the battery cells and at the same time maintain the performance of the battery system.
LANXESS has access to one of the largest underground brine deposits in North America, which contains large concentrations of lithium. The PLA BU supplies the brine to the Canadian company Standard Lithium Ltd., which it uses to produce high-purity lithium carbonate by means of direct lithium extraction (DLE).

How the Battery in an Electric Car Works

The positive cathode consists of an ultrapure lithium metal oxide compound. The negative pole, the anode, contains graphite, a modification of carbon. The battery is filled with an anhydrous electrolyte that serves as a transport medium for the ions so that the lithium ions can migrate. The separator prevents a short circuit between the positive and negative poles. During charging, the positively charged lithium ions migrate through the separator into the anode, where they are deposited in the layered graphite structure. When the battery is discharging, i.e., when energy is being consumed, the lithium ions migrate back into the cathode. The electric motor in the car converts the electricity into mechanical energy, propelling the car forward.