Jiangsu Sailboat Petrochemical (Sailboat) started commercial operation of a new carbonate plant in Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of 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 for lithium-ion battery electrolytes for electric vehicles.

Asahi Kasei developed a process technology to produce various chemical products using CO2 as the main raw material in the early 2000s. The technology has been licensed to chemical companies worldwide, with the first licensee starting production of polycarbonate using CO2 in 2002.

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

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

In September 2021, Asahi Kasei and Chinese customer Sailboat signed a license agreement for a process technology to produce 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 was carried out jointly by both partners.

The plant, which started commercial operation in November 2024, uses 54,000 tons of CO2 as a raw material annually. Since several licensees are now using this process technology for the large-scale production of high-purity carbonates using CO2 as a feedstock, the total amount of CO2 as a raw material amounts to about 300,000 tons annually, including the production of polycarbonate and carbonates.

Xu Jiale, Sailboat's project manager for carbonates (EC/DMC), commented: "By producing high-purity EC and DMC for lithium-ion battery electrolytes, Sailboat will further expand the value chain for this industry and contribute to a sustainable society." Hiroyoshi Matsuyama, Senior Executive Officer of Asahi Kasei and President of SBU Environmental Solutions, added: "By licensing this technology for more sustainable production of these important materials, we will continue to focus on the practical application of our expertise in the field of CO2 chemistry and contribute to a sustainable society by providing solutions to the world's environmental challenges."