Chemours announces $200 million investment to expand Nafion production as hydrogen economy emerges

340
Advertisement

The Chemours Company plans to spend  $200 million to increase capacity and advance technology for its Nafion membrane material used in the hydrogen economy.

Chemours is headquartered in Wilmington and operates a research center at the University of Delaware STAR Campus. Chemours is researching and investing in  hydrogen technology, now viewed as essential in the move away from fossil fuels.

Chemours is evaluating potential locations in the United States and Europe for a site and is particularly interested in supporting the local communities where it operates, a release stated.

“Fueled by government and industrial investment and carbon-neutral secular trends, the hydrogen economy is at a critical juncture, and investment is needed to support our strategic partners to deliver against those ambitious goals. Our Nafion membrane technology is the heart of hydrogen power generation, storage, and use,” said Denise Dignam, president of Advanced Performance Materials at Chemours. “Built on more than 50 years of experience, this planned new investment will further support the growth of Chemours’ partners, the overall hydrogen economy, and positions Chemours as a major industry player.”

Chemours earlier joined an investor group funding Delaware hydrogen start-up Versogen. It also joined a West Virginia hydrogen partnership 

Advertisement

Nafion came out of DuPont Co. research in the 1960s, with Chemours controlling that brand name.  Annual worldwide sales from companies manufacturing the material total about $900 million, with that figure expected to rise modestly in the coming years.

The investment will focus on the Nafion ion exchange materials technology platform. Its chemical properties can help generate clean hydrogen from water electrolysis. Nafion  proton exchange membranes are used in fuel cells to convert hydrogen to power, and could make their way to  fleets of zero-emission fuel cell-powered trucks, buses, trains, and cars. Also, Nafion ion exchange materials enable flow batteries to store excess renewable energy, a key to storing power from solar and wind.

Chemours has about  6,400 employees and 29 manufacturing sites serving approximately 3,200 customers in about 120 countries.

Advertisement
Advertisement