AkzoNobel Industrial Chemicals and Fluorchemie have announced the establishment of joint venture called CF Carbons GmbH. The JV will be used for the production, marketing and sales of the fluorocarbon HCFC22 (R22) in Frankfurt, Germany. Financial details were not disclosed.

The 50/50 joint venture of CF Carbons which will be effective as of Jan. 1, will formalize an existing relationship and will provide long term stability to AkzoNobel, Fluorchemie and the customers of R22. AkzoNobel brings to the joint venture its knowhow about chlorine production, whereas Fluorchemie brings the production assets and its fluorine knowledge. The R22 plant has a production capacity of 24 kt/year.

Chloroform and HF are the main raw materials for the production of R 22. R22 is the most important feedstock for fluoropolymers particularly for PTFE. Demand for PTFE grows by 4%/year in a wide spectrum of applications, due to superior product properties. Future potential for R22 lies in a newly developed refrigerant based on R22 and on other chlorinated fluorocarbons as a substitute for automotive air-conditioning systems.

The R22 activities are currently owned by Fluorchemie. The Fluorchemie Group is one of the biggest European producers of HF and is backward integrated in fluorspar mining.

The joint venture will have its operation in Frankfurt am Main, where AkzoNobel is investing €140 million to convert its chlorine plant in Frankfurt to state-of-the-art membrane electrolysis technology.