Lanxess strengthens production chain with new CO2 unit
10/10/2013
The specialty chemicals company invested EUR 40 million in the unit, which was completed in 19 months and says it is the only one of its kind in South Africa.
“This investment is another element of our BRICS strategy,” said Rainier van Roessel, member of the board of Lanxess. “The new unit allows the best possible utilizstion of capacity at our plant and lays the foundation for future production expansion.”
With its own CO2 concentration unit, Lanxess is no longer dependent on the delivery capacity of external suppliers, which have provided the CO2 until now.
The unit will capture exhaust air from the site’s steam production process, concentrate the CO2 level up to 99% and feed it into the sodium dichromate production process.
“By using our own exhaust air to meet the CO2 demand, we reduce the CO2 emissions of our Newcastle plant by around 25%,” added Mr van Roessel.
Lanxess operates a chrome ore mine in Rustenburg. The ore is processed in Newcastle into chrome chemicals and delivered to the plant in Merebank, Durban, where it is used for the production of tanning salts for the global leather industry.
“The investment strengthens our unique value-added chain for chrome-based specialty chemicals here in South Africa and is a clear commitment to this country and the Newcastle site,” said Karl Gassen, managing director of Lanxess in South Africa.
The company has more than 1,000 employees in South Africa, with 155 of them based at the Newcastle site.
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