Renewable

November 5 (Renewables Now) - Boston-based fluoroproducts firm Koura said this week it has agreed to acquire Madison, Wisconsin-based battery technology start-up Silatronix to respond to the growing demand for energy storage.

Set up in 2007, Silatronix has been developing solutions and electrolyte technologies for lithium-ion batteries, including fluorosilane additives, that provide improved battery safety and performance in a range of applications such as electric vehicles and grid-scale storage, according to the announcement.

Koura president Gregg Smith said that along with its ownership of raw material assets and expertise in fluorine technology, the company is keen to develop next-generation battery technologies that can improve safety, performance and sustainability. “Bringing on board Silatronix's expertise and technologies will further enable us to achieve these goals, support the advancement of the entire lithium-ion battery industry, and accelerate renewable adoption," Smith added.

Koura, part of the Orbia community of companies, and Orbia have recently led a USD-70-million (EUR 61m) investment round in Worcester, Massachusetts-based lithium-ion battery recycler Battery Resourcers.

(USD 1 = EUR 0.868)