CNGR, a major Chinese supplier for Li-ion battery cathode precursors, announced on December 15 that it has shipped its initial batches of iron(III) phosphate to clients from its new production line in Guizhou. The new production line, which has a production capacity of 200,000 tons per year, is thus officially in the mass production phase. This event also signals that CNGR has gained the capability to manufacture iron(III) phosphate at a large scale. Hence, the company has entered a new phase in its development as its portfolio now encompasses all three major categories of battery cathode materials (i.e., nickel-based, cobalt-based, and phosphorous-based cathode materials).
In December 2021, CNGR and the government of Kaiyang County signed an agreement to build an integrated industrial park for manufacturing lithium iron phosphate. Kaiyang County is a part of China’s Guizhou Province. This project represents the company’s first step into the field LFP batteries. The construction of the industrial park commenced on March 11 this year. Fast-forward to December 5 this year, the production line there successfully output its initial batches of iron(III) phosphate.
The iron(III) phosphate that is being shipped from the new production line is an in-house developed product. CNGR has upgraded the manufacturing process for this material with custom-designed equipment. While this production line does not totally conform to the standard specifications, it has achieved industry-leading level with respect to product stability, product uniformity, impurity, MI, quantity for metal particles, etc.
CNGR has innovated on the existing manufacturing process and further segmented the “two-step ammonia reaction”. Under the in-house manufacturing process, the required reactions and syntheses occur separately and in sequence so that they do not interfere with each other. By allowing reactions to be fully carried out, CNGR is able to deliver lower impurity, higher stability, and higher uniformity.
In designing the new production line, CNGR leveraged its own expertise in precursor manufacturing. The new production line features DCS. This solution not only enables automatic feeding of raw materials but also minimizes contaminations, errors, and malfunctions. With this kind of full automation, CNGR can guarantee the uniformity of product quality.
The new production line also features solutions for reducing carbon emissions and saving energy. CNGR boasts that the production line has adopted the most advanced technologies for waste heat recovery. Furthermore, the production has incorporated a closed-loop system for waste water treatment. Up to 95% of waste water can be reused. The phosphorous and nitrogen recovered from the waste water can be further processed to become compound fertilizers. In sum, CNGR has committed a lot efforts to ensure that its manufacturing process is highly efficient, and that the wastes resulting from the manufacturing process can be recycled and turned into valuable products.
CNGR is currently a leading supplier for cathode precursors in the global market. Its core products include ternary precursors and cobalt(II,III) oxide. The former is used to make ternary cathodes, whereas the latter is used to make LCO cathodes. CNGR offers multiple series of ternary precursors and has achieved “breakthroughs” in its 7, 8, and 9 Series. The company has also developed a cobalt-free monocrystalline cathode material that has passed production line inspection and client qualification.
CNGR’s clients are well-known participants in the industry chain for automotive power batteries. They include Tesla, LG Chem, CATL, Easpring, XTC, BTR, L&F, ZEC, and Samsung SDI. On the whole, the company has a diverse mix of Chinese and non-Chinese clients.
In terms of production capacity, CNGR currently has three main manufacturing bases in China. They are respectively located in Tongren (Guizhou Province), Ningxiang (Hunan Province), and Qinzhou (Guangxi Province). At the end of 2021, CNGR’s effective production capacity for cathode precursors came to 230,000 tons per year. Moreover, the company is building new facilities at home and abroad. In addition to the new production line for iron(III) phosphate in Kaiyang, the company is also setting up a major base in Indonesia. By the end of 2022, CNGR is estimated to have 330,000 tons per year for ternary precursors and 30,000 tons per year for cobalt(II,III) oxide. At this scale, the company could be considered the top supplier worldwide for these materials (by production capacity).
This article is a translation of a Chinese article posted by TrendForce. It contains information that is either sourced from other news outlets or accessible in the public domain. Some Chinese names are transcribed into English using Hanyu Pinyin.
(Image source: CNGR)