Valterra Platinum partners with Pujing Chemical to advance MMA production technology     

South Africa-based PGM producer Valterra Platinum is working with Shanghai Pujing Chemical Technology to advance a new process for producing methyl methacrylate, or MMA, using a proprietary palladium-enabled catalyst system. 

The collaboration, signed during Shanghai Platinum Week in July, is focused on scaling and further developing the technology for China’s MMA market. The agreement was signed by representatives of the two companies in the presence of Pujing Chemical Chairperson Zhu Shen and Valterra CEO Craig Miller.

Technology targets cleaner MMA production 

MMA is an important chemical building block used to make acrylic glass, coatings, adhesives and specialty materials. Its applications span construction, transportation, electronics, health care and renewable energy. 

China is the world’s largest producer and consumer of MMA, according to Valterra. As producers look for ways to reduce waste and improve the environmental performance of chemical manufacturing, the industry is also seeking technologies that can produce higher-purity MMA for more demanding applications. 

Pujing Chemical’s process is designed to meet those needs. It uses a palladium-enabled catalyst system and offers Chinese producers a domestically developed option for producing high-purity MMA. 

“Pujing Chemical’s palladium-enabled process has the potential to improve environmental performance and support the production of high-purity MMA,” Miller said. 

Pujing Chemical has completed tonne-scale testing of the process and is moving ahead with construction of a pilot plant. The facility will allow the technology to be tested under larger-scale operating conditions. 

Under the agreement, Valterra will support the pilot program as part of its market development work.

Valterra seeks new uses for PGMs 

The partnership also gives the companies a framework to identify and assess other technologies that use platinum group metals, or PGMs, with the aim of creating new industrial applications and demand for the metals. 

Valterra said other PGM producers can participate in the collaboration, consistent with its broader approach to market development. 

“We are pleased to collaborate on a project that demonstrates the role PGMs can play in enabling innovative industrial technologies while supporting future growth in palladium demand,” Miller said. 

The partnership comes as Valterra seeks to expand the industrial uses of PGMs beyond their traditional markets. 

Valterra deepens China technology ties

Valterra is one of the world’s largest integrated producers of PGMs, with operations in South Africa and Zimbabwe and primary and secondary listings in Johannesburg and London. It also has marketing hubs in London, Singapore and Shanghai. 

Formerly known as Anglo American Platinum, Valterra became an independent publicly traded company following its demerger from Anglo American on May 31, 2025.

Shanghai Pujing Chemical Technology, founded in 2005, is a Chinese high-tech company focused on green chemical processes, coal-to-chemicals technology and biodegradable polymers, including polyglycolic acid.

Strong first-half performance 

Valterra’s push into new PGM applications follows a sharp improvement in its financial performance. 

For the six months ended June 30, 2026, the company reported revenue of R81.8 billion ($5 billion), up 93% from R42.3 billion a year earlier. Adjusted EBITDA rose 406% to R33.4 billion ($2.05 billion), from R6.6 billion. 

Headline earnings per share increased more than 1,600% to R82.02 ($5.02), from R4.73 ($0.28), helped by higher PGM basket prices and increased sales volumes. 

Valterra also ended the period with net cash of R23.7 billion ($1.45 billion), compared with net debt of R4.9 billion a year earlier.