West Point, Mississippi: Southern Ionics announces the start-up of its United States pilot plant to produce 99.9% and 99.99% High Purity Alumina (HPA) powders to support the strong demand in critical materials needed for Lithium-ion Battery (LiB) manufacturing.
- The Company’s HPA powders will target the fast-growing need for alumina coated separators and thermal dissipation filler materials, key components for LiB safety and Electric Vehicles (EVs).
- Southern Ionics is the largest North American producer of High Purity Aluminum Chemicals and has developed a process to produce HPA based on its existing technologies.
- High Purity Aluminum Chemicals production at Southern Ionics’ Baton Rouge, Louisiana facility will provide feedstock for future HPA operations.
Southern Ionics is developing the first major production of cost-efficient High Purity Alumina for EV applications in the United States, starting with its HPA pilot production facility in West Point, Mississippi. Building from its existing High Purity Aluminum Chemicals feedstock production at Baton Rouge, Southern Ionics time-to-market for HPA production is significantly reduced compared to other start-up HPA projects around the world.
Rapid Growth of the LiB market is driven by increasing demand for EVs and Energy Storage Systems, among other applications. Billions of dollars are being directed toward building new gigafactories for battery production in the United States and abroad. “Southern Ionics is uniquely positioned with United States based assets, production capability, and extensive knowledge of aluminum chemistry to provide US support for growing LiB and EV demand,” says Joe Stevens, President of Southern Ionics.
Separators for LiBs are microporous polymer films that maintain separation between the battery anode and cathode, while allowing lithium-ions to transport between the electrodes within the electrolyte. Coating separators with a thin layer of HPA provides advantages of thermal stability and durability, while increasing battery safety, battery life, and decreasing charging time.
Founded in 1980, Southern Ionics is the largest North American producer of high-quality aluminum chemicals with applications in catalyst, zeolites, titanium dioxide and water and wastewater treatment. The company’s strategic investment into cost efficient HPA highlights Southern Ionics’ vision of environmental responsibility combined with the well-being of the communities in which it is located.
Southern Ionics is a leading producer of aluminum, sulfur, and ammonium chemistries. For more information please visit our website at www.SouthernIonics.com.