UBE Corp. (Tokyo)announced that it held a groundbreaking ceremony for a dimethyl carbonate (DMC) and ethyl methyl carbonate (EMC) plant in Louisiana. Approximately 180 people attended the ceremony, including many government officials, local communities, and constructors. From UBE, Masato Izumihara, President and Representative Director, Yuki Nishida, Representative Director and Senior Managing Executive Officer, and officials from UBE C1 Chemicals America, Inc., which will manufacture DMC and EMC in the United States, attended the ceremony.
“The investment in this plant is the largest in the manufacturing facility in UBE’s corporate history.” said Masato Izumihara, President and Representative Director of UBE Corporation. “As the sole DMC and EMC manufacturer in the United States, the company will achieve high productivity and supply products with very little waste and emission while also realizing various synergy effects with its newly acquired high-performance urethane systems business. Based on UBE’s corporate philosophy ‘co-existence and mutual prosperity,’ we will contribute to the local community,”.
DMC and EMC are key components of the electrolyte solvent for lithium-ion batteries, which are expected to see increased demand for BEVs, HEVs, and ESS.* DMC is also used as a material of the developer in semiconductor manufacturing process. The new plant will produce DMC using UBE’s proprietary gas-phase nitrite process, which features lower energy consumption, higher quality, and fewer by-products and impurities compared to ethylene-based process. The plant will produce 100,000 tons of DMC per year and 40,000 tons of EMC derived from DMC per year. The plant is scheduled for completion in July 2026 and will begin operation in November of the same year.
Towards realizing its vision for 2030, which declares the Group’s intent to be “a corporate group centered on specialty chemicals that contributes to the global environment, human health, and an enriched future society,” UBE will leverage its unique strengths for expanding its specialty businesses that have a low energy burden, are resistant to swings in market conditions, and are highly profitable, while also working to reduce GHG emissions.