UBE C1 Chemical America, a subsidiary of Japanese chemical manufacturer UBE, has started building a dimethyl carbonate (DMC) and ethyl methyl carbonate (EMC) plant in Louisiana.

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 to begin operation in November of the same year.

DMC and EMC are key components of the electrolyte solvent for lithium-ion batteries for hybrid and electric vehicles. DMC is also used in the semiconductor manufacturing process.

The new plant will produce DMC using UBE’s gas-phase nitrite process, which features lower energy consumption, higher quality and fewer by-products and impurities compared to ethylene-based processes.

“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. “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.”

Source: UBE