Nippon Paper to Establish New Carboxymethyl Cellulose Plant in Hungary

CMC is an anionic, water-soluble polymer derived from cellulose that features unique properties such as excellent thickening, water absorption and water retention.

Feb. 6, 2023 - Nippon Paper Industries Co., Ltd. announced the establishment of a manufacturing and sales subsidiary in Budapest, Hungary, for CMC (carboxymethyl cellulose), which is one of the materials used for lithium-ion battery (LiB) anodes in electric vehicles (EV), to join its rapidly growing supply chain system in Europe.

Nippon Paper plans to start operating the new plant in December 2024. This investment is expected to increase sales revenue approx. 50 million euros and provide approx. 60 jobs at full operation.

CMC is an anionic, water-soluble polymer derived from cellulose that features unique properties such as excellent thickening, water absorption and water retention and it is also very environmentally friendly.

Because of its outstanding properties, CMC has been widely used as an additive in food and cosmetics such as toothpaste, as well as in industrial applications such as paper manufacturing.

The SUNROSE MAC® CMC for LiB that the Nippon Paper has developed is used as a high-performance additive in the coating process for LiB anodes (graphite), and demand for it has grown significantly in recent years.

According to Nippon Paper, SUNROSE MAC enables the formation of a uniform coating surface that contributes to LiB safety performance, and that property is highly valued by the manufacturers of LiBs for EV automotive applications, applications in consumer technologies such as smartphones and PCs, and in renewable energy storage applications.

Nippon Paper noted that the LiB market for EVs has rapidly expanded in Europe, where strict CO2 emissions regulations are being implemented, and the European automotive industry has been working to build a one-stop EV supply chain system. These trends have encouraged automobile parts and LiB manufacturers in China, South Korea and other countries to announce plans to build new factories within the European region.

Nippon Paper Industries produces a wide range of products, including newspring, coated and uncoated paper, paperboard, pulp, lumber, chemicals and more.

SOURCE: Nippon Paper Industries Co., Ltd.