Sailboat starts commercial production of high-purity EC and DMC

Jiangsu Sailboat Petrochemical (Sailboat) started commercial operations of its new carbonate plant in Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province, China in November 2024. The plant uses technology licensed from Asahi Kasei to produce high-purity ethylene carbonate (EC) and dimethyl carbonate (DMC) using carbon dioxide (CO2) as the main raw material. Both carbonates are used as solvents in electrolytes for lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles.

Asahi Kasei developed a process technology for producing various chemical products using CO2 as the main raw material in the early 2000s. The technology has been licensed to chemical companies around the world, and the first licensee began producing polycarbonate using CO2 in 2002.

Since then, Asahi Kasei has continued to expand its expertise in the production of plastics and other chemicals, including carbonates, based on CO2. Demand for lithium-ion batteries will continue to grow due to the global shift to electric vehicles and increased use of electrical energy storage systems (ESS).

Ethylene carbonate (EC) and dimethyl carbonate (DMC) are essential materials for the production of lithium-ion battery electrolytes. In addition, reducing the product carbon footprint (CFP) of materials and components is a major challenge for manufacturers worldwide.

In September 2021, Asahi Kasei and Sailboat signed a process technology license agreement for the production of 38,000 tons of high-purity EC and 70,000 tons of high-purity DMC per year. The planning, construction and commissioning of the production plant are jointly carried out by both parties.

The plant will start commercial operation in November 2024 and use 54,000 tons of CO2 as a raw material per year. Since several licensees are currently using the process technology to produce high-purity carbonates using CO2 as a raw material on a large scale, the total amount of CO2 used as a raw material per year is about 300,000 tons, including the production of polycarbonates and carbonates.

"By producing high-purity EC and DMC for lithium-ion battery electrolytes, Sailbon will further expand the industry's value chain and contribute to the sustainable development of society," said Jiale Xu, Sailbon's carbonate (EC/DMC) project manager.

Hiroyoshi Matsuyama, Asahi Kasei senior executive officer and president of SBU Environmental Solutions, added, "By licensing this technology to produce these important materials more sustainably, we will continue to focus on the practical application of our expertise in CO2 chemistry and contribute to the sustainable development of society by providing solutions to the world's environmental challenges."