The Chemours Company plans to enter into a joint venture with BWT FUMATECH Mobility GmbH, an established player in multiple hydrogen markets, focused on membrane manufacturing in the field of fuel cell technology.
Completion of the transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals. The joint venture—THE Mobility F.C. Membranes Company GmbH — is rooted in both companies’ understanding of the role heavy-duty fuel cell membranes play in driving the global hydrogen economy.
Through this partnership, Chemours and BWT will integrate their capabilities, resources, and technological expertise—as well as more than 85 years of combined experience in fuel cell membrane innovation.
Chemours’ predecessor DuPont dsicovered Nafion – ion exchange membranes and dispersions. Located in Germany, THE Mobility F.C. Membranes Company will cooperate with FUMATECH—a subsidiary of the private Austrian-based BWT Group—and its existing production technology and line operations to convert Nafion ion exchange materials into end-product membranes.
The companies estimate that within 12 months of startup, the joint venture will be able to ramp up the capacity of manufacturing heavy-duty humidifier and fuel cell membranes.
“The estimated size of the heavy-duty fuel cell membrane market is expected to grow to about $900 millon by 2030, which speaks volumes to how critical this technology is, and will continue to be, as the planet pursues robust goals for decarbonization,” said Denise Dignam, president of Advanced Performance Materials at Chemours. “Chemours is committed to taking on the world’s biggest challenges through the power of our chemistry and driving investment in supporting the hydrogen economy. This joint venture with BWT FUMATECH demonstrates the exact type of collaboration that empowers us to uphold that commitment. This is an ideal partnership, possessing everything required to go from monomer to membrane with the agility, efficiency, and production volume necessary to bring affordable hydrogen energy solutions to mass markets.”
Climate policies, such as the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), European Green Deal, and other future-oriented policy frameworks on the EU and member state level, will drive changes to the energy, transportation, and manufacturing industries as well as spark innovation in clean technology with billions of dollars in new climate and energy spending.
With the foundation of Chemours’ strong polymer technology and FUMATECH’s optimized manufacturing technology, the joint venture company aims to play a significant role in servicing the hydrogen economy pipeline with a supply of highly engineered HDFC membranes. At the outset, THE Mobility F.C. Membranes Company will supply to the European Union, United States, Japan, China, and Korea, enabling downstream customers to accelerate broad conversion to green, hydrogen-powered heavy-duty transportation, a release stated.
