In January 2026, there was an escalation in the price of lithium fluoride in the USA due to dwindling supplies across the globe and the demand created by the battery industry, driving spot and contract offers up. As the USA continues to be a net importer of lithium fluoride, US buyers must bear the full effects associated with the rise in Asian benchmark prices, rising freight costs, and the limited export availability of the product. Due to the increase in activity by US producers of lithium-ion battery electrolytes, there were many producers of electrolytes and specialty chemicals who began purchasing larger volumes to secure Q1 purchases. Reports from market participants included many price increases in East Asian markets, which corresponded to high landed costs for cargoes in the USA. Support for demand was provided via continued expansion of manufacturing of both electric vehicles (EVs) and energy storage products, with USA EV sales of over 1.2 million units in 2025 and worldwide production of batteries nearing 1 terawatt hour of output.
Selenis has effectively manufactured recycled PET chips using terephthalic acid sourced from Circ®, a textile-to-textile recycler based in Virginia. The chip production took place through a series of batches at Selenis' pilot plant in San-Giorgio, Italy. By utilizing inputs recovered from polycotton textile waste, Selenis has created high-quality PET chip, which has been further processed into DTY yarn. This yarn will play a crucial role in product development as Circ prepares for additional capsule launches. Selenis is leveraging the success of this initial collaboration phase and is committed to advancing towards an offtake partnership to support Circ's inaugural industrial facility.
Eduardo Santos, Head of Corporate Strategy at Selenis, remarked that the monomer synthesis showed a performance comparable to virgin terephthalic acid. He expressed optimism about the consistent quality of Circ's monomer output and anticipated future commercial success. Santos pointed out that the Circ partnership complements Selenis's existing mission and goals for a more sustainable textile industry. He further stated their anticipation of expanding upon this collaboration and providing support for Circ's forthcoming commercial production trials.
