The Fire Retardant Additives (FRA) division of Huber Engineered Materials, part of J.M. Huber Corp., has announced that its second-phase expansion of fine precipitated hydrate capacity is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year.

The company approved the project, which will be carried out at the Martinswerk plant in Bergheim, Germany, in March 2018. The additional capacity is being phased in several steps and the first volumes were due to be available in the second half of 2019 with project completion in early 2020.

Huber said the expansion is the single largest investment it has made over the last 40 years at Martinswerk. As well as lifting capacity for Martinal Leo grades by about 20%, the work will also include several “significant” sustainability improvements, such as a reduction in water use.

“This investment underlines the commitment towards our customers to support their growth and our strategy to grow and strengthen our global halogen-free fire retardant business,” said Martin Schulting, managing director of Huber’s Martinswerk FRA business unit in Europe, Middle East, Africa and India.

The company has also recently expanded capacity for fine precipitated alumina trihydrate in Bauxite, Arkansas, USA – the additional output was due to go on stream in the third quarter of 2019.

In July 2019, Magnifin, an equally owned joint venture between Martinswerk and Veitscher Vertriebsgesellschaft, part of Austria’s RHI Magnesita, approved a detailed engineering study for a second production site in order to meet growing demand for its non-halogenated magnesium hydroxide fire retardants.

Magnifin has not divulged a timescale for the project.