The Chemours Company, a global chemistry company, plans to enter into a joint venture with BWT FUMATECH Mobility GmbH, an established player in multiple hydrogen markets, focused on fuel cell membrane manufacturing. Completion of the transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals.

The joint venture—THE Mobility F.C. Membranes Company GmbH—is rooted in both companies’ understanding of the critical role heavy-duty fuel cell (HDFC) membranes play in driving the global hydrogen economy. Through this partnership, Chemours and BWT will integrate their complementary capabilities, resources, and technological expertise—including more than 85 years of combined experience in fuel cell membrane innovation—to expedite supply to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and to ensure growing demand is met in the near and long terms.

Chemours—the inventor of Nafion ion exchange membranes and dispersions—possesses great expertise in the production of the building blocks of high-performance HDFC membranes. Located in Germany, THE Mobility F.C. Membranes Company will cooperate with FUMATECH—a subsidiary of the private Austrian-based BWT Group—and its existing production technology and line operations to convert Chemours Nafion ion exchange materials into industry-leading end-product membranes.

The companies estimate that within 12 months of startup, the joint venture will be able to ramp up the capacity of manufacturing heavy-duty humidifier and fuel cell membranes for strategic long-term customers.

The estimated size of the heavy-duty fuel cell membrane market is expected to grow to about $900M by 2030, which speaks volumes to how critical this technology is, and will continue to be, as the planet pursues robust goals for decarbonization. Chemours is committed to taking on the world’s biggest challenges through the power of our chemistry and driving investment in supporting the hydrogen economy.

This joint venture with BWT FUMATECH demonstrates the exact type of collaboration that empowers us to uphold that commitment. This is an ideal partnership, possessing everything required to go from monomer to membrane with the agility, efficiency, and production volume necessary to bring affordable hydrogen energy solutions to mass markets.

—Denise Dignam, President of Advanced Performance Materials at Chemours

With the foundation of Chemours’ strong polymer technology and FUMATECH’s optimized manufacturing technology, the joint venture company aims to play a significant role in servicing the hydrogen economy pipeline with a supply of highly engineered HDFC membranes. At the outset, THE Mobility F.C. Membranes Company will supply to the European Union, United States, Japan, China, and Korea, enabling downstream customers to accelerate broad conversion to green, hydrogen-powered heavy-duty transportation.