Chemours, a global chemistry company, announced on 10 October plans to enter into a joint venture with BWT Fumatech Mobility GmbH, an established fuel cell membrane manufacturer.
Through this partnership, Chemours and BWT aim to leverage more than 85 years of combined experience in fuel cell membrane innovation to expedite supply to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and to ensure growing demand is met in the near and long terms.
Located in Germany, the joint venture under the name The Mobility F.C. Membranes Company will cooperate with Fumatech—a subsidiary of the private Austrian-based BWT Group to convert Chemours Nafion™ ion exchange materials into industry-leading 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 for strategic long-term customers.
“In coming together to combine the best assets and competencies of both partners, The Mobility F.C. Membranes Company GmbH, will focus on establishing the resources and processes to secure the path for long-term success in line with the growth within the hydrogen space,” said Andreas Weissenbacher, CEO BWT. “Ultimately, our work together will fill a pipeline of needed products critical to achieving a global, sustainable hydrogen economy.”
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 significant 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 optimised 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.
Marc Gurau, Chemours Application Development Engineering Manager, Hydrogen Economy Venture will be speaking about Advanced Membranes for Improve Electrolyser Performance at Hydrogen Technology Expo Europe on 19-20 October in Bremen Germany. View full agenda here.