Lanxess launches battery lab for LFP materials

Lanxess has opened a new battery laboratory at its Krefeld-Uerdingen site. There, the specialty chemicals company plans to test and further develop its materials for LFP batteries directly in battery cells going forward.

Lanxess is expanding its activities related to materials for lithium-iron-phosphate batteries (LFP). The new battery laboratory in Krefeld-Uerdingen focuses primarily on iron oxides and iron phosphates, which can be used as starting materials for LFP cathode materials. With the new equipment, Lanxess can investigate the properties of its materials directly within the cell structure, according to the company. This includes testing how different qualities of iron oxides and iron phosphates affect cell performance, processability, and suitability for specific applications. The company expects this to result in shorter development cycles and faster evaluation of new materials together with its customers.

Lanxess does not provide information on the investment amount, laboratory capacity, or specific customer projects. The company has also not yet shared performance data for the materials tested there. However, the technical equipment is not intended to be limited to LFP; according to Lanxess, materials for other cell chemistries can also be studied there, such as sodium-iron pyrophosphate as a cathode material for sodium-ion batteries.

Lanxess is not new to entering the development of such materials. As early as 2024, the specialty chemicals company began a research partnership with IBU-Tec. Together, the companies aimed to further develop iron oxides specifically for LFP cathode materials, thereby enabling improvements in energy density, charging speed, and cycle life. Back then, the partners set as a goal establishing a European value chain for LFP materials.

According to Lanxess, the company has since developed special iron oxide grades for battery applications and introduced them to the market as so-called Battery Grades. In addition, iron phosphate is another precursor for LFP cathode materials. The production method developed by Lanxess relies on iron and phosphoric acid and is intended to produce less saline wastewater compared to existing methods. However, the company does not provide specific comparative figures for this environmental advantage.

Lanxess continues to expand its LFP activities

The new laboratory now adds its own cell tests to this material development. This enables Lanxess to evaluate its raw materials not only based on their chemical and physical properties but also to study how they behave within cell structures. For a chemicals company that does not operate as a cell manufacturer itself, this is particularly important for the development and optimization of its precursor materials.

The expansion is also driven by the growing significance of LFP chemistry. Lanxess cites figures from Roland Berger, according to which LFP batteries could account for 50 percent of the market in Europe by 2030, up from around 10 percent today. In addition to electric vehicles, the company sees stationary energy storage systems, data centers, and critical infrastructure as other drivers of growth.

At the same time, Lanxess aims to position itself as a supplier for Western battery value chains through its materials. The company already has large-scale iron oxide production and considers itself the leading Western manufacturer of this material. However, the current announcement does not specify the scale of production capacity dedicated to battery applications or the extent to which these battery-grade materials are already in commercial use.

Beyond LFP precursors, Lanxess is already active in other areas of the battery value chain. Its portfolio includes chemicals for electrolyte salts, ion exchange resins for the extraction and refining of lithium, nickel, and cobalt, as well as solutions for thermal management and flame protection. For battery recycling, the company also offers process chemicals and ion exchange resins for black mass treatment, metal recovery, and wastewater treatment.

With the new battery laboratory, Lanxess aims primarily to enhance its development and testing capabilities for battery materials. Whether this will lead to larger production volumes or specific supply contracts for LFP precursors remains uncertain for now.