This 2007 image shows logs and wood chips outside a Stora Enso paper mill in Finland. The firm says it is “one of the largest private forest owners in the world.”
Suzanne Plunkett | Bloomberg | Getty Images
Will partner with Northvolt Stora Enso To develop a battery consisting of components produced using wood obtained from forests in the Nordic region.
A joint development agreement between the firms would see them working together on the production of a battery containing anodes made from something called lignin-based hard carbon. The anode is an important part of the battery along with the cathode and electrolyte.
In a statement Friday, electric vehicle battery makers Northvolt and Stora Enso — which specializes in packaging and paper products, among other things — described lignin as a “plant-derived polymer found in the cell walls of dry land plants.” has been described. According to the companies, trees are made up of 20% to 30% lignin, which acts as a binder.
“The aim is to develop the world’s first industrial battery featuring [an] The anode is derived entirely from European raw materials,” the companies said.
Breaking down the plans, Stora Enso will supply Lignode, which is its lignin-based anode material. Northvolt will focus on cell design, development of production processes, and scale-up of the technology.
The companies said the lignodes would come from “sustainably managed forests.” Stora Enso says it is “one of the largest private forest owners in the world.”
Johanna Hegelberg, Stora Enso’s executive vice president for biomaterials, said its lignin-based hard carbon “anode will secure a strategic European supply of raw materials” and “send the needs of sustainable batteries for applications ranging from dynamic to stable energy storage “
The effort to develop battery materials from multiple sources comes at a time when major European economies are planning to move away from road-based vehicles that use diesel and gasoline.
The UK wants to stop the sale of new diesel and gasoline cars and vans by 2030. This would require zero-tailpipe emissions in all new cars and vans from 2035. The European Union – which the UK left on January 31, 2020 – pursuing similar goals.
As the number of electric vehicles on our roads increases, the supply of batteries in the automotive sector will become increasingly important and competitive.
Earlier this year, the CEO of Volvo Cars told CNBC that he thought the battery supply was “It’s going to be one of the things that’s going to come in scarce supply in the years to come.”
Sweden-headquartered Northvolt recently said that its first gigafactory, Northvolt Eight, has begun commercial deliveries to European customers. The firm says it has contracts worth more than $55 billion from businesses such as Volvo Cars. bmwAnd Volkswagen,
Gigafactories are facilities that mass-produce batteries for electric vehicles. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been widely credited with coining the term.
Northvolt recently announced a $1.1 billion funding boostAlong with a range of investors – including Volkswagen and Goldman Sachs Asset Management – are participating in the capital raising.
According to the International Energy Agency, sales of electric vehicles will reach 6.6 million in 2021. In the first quarter of 2022, EV sales reached 2 million, a 75% increase compared to the first three months of 2021.