2021 Annual and Sustainable Performance Report

Arkema contributed several million euros in 2021 to the fundraising of French company Verkor, which plans to develop high‑performance, low‑carbon batteries. Through this investment, which falls under the technology partnership, the Group intends to contribute its expertise and materials solutions to a highly innovative project, which will strengthen the battery ecosystem in France and Europe. The French start‑up, which has brought together major players such as Renault Group, EIT InnoEnergy, Tokai COBEX and Schneider Electric at its Grenoble innovation center, has just announced the construction of a next‑generation gigafactory, which is expected to become operational in 2023, in France near Dunkirk. From 2025, this plant will produce 300,000 batteries, equivalent to 50 GWh. Verkor will use these to equip a million electric vehicles, including the famous Alpine built in Dieppe by Renault Nissan.

End of battery life: now is the time to prepare

With the rapid development of electric mobility comes the issue of what to do with batteries when they come to the end of their serviceable lives. Arkema has made this major environmental issue a key criterion in its innovation policy. In conjunction with the Virtucycle^™ Recycling Program (see p.36), the Group is developing recovery and recycling processes for Kynar^® PVDF contained in batteries.

The first step, which consists of separating the various materials that make up the battery after crushing, involves hydrogen peroxide, of which Arkema is a major producer. Bostik’s adhesive solutions also play a key role in this process: they must ensure the long‑lasting adhesion between the battery components while also allowing them to be detached and separated at the end of their lives. An important aspect to highlight: The LiFSI electrolyte salts developed by Arkema to support the boom in high‑voltage batteries can be recovered and reused through a competitive process already patented by the Group, a major advantage.