According to Vynova, the plant will be the largest of its kind in Europe – although actual capacity figures were not disclosed – and it will also allow the company to continue producing a product that is “fit for demanding applications in the food, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries.”

“This investment is part of a wider company program to continuously implement the highest standards for our potassium derivatives assets and to support the expansion of our potassium derivatives business,” said Jacques Sturm, vice president for the potassium derivatives business. “Our new Tessenderlo facility will enable us to continue as a reliable partner for our customers and is another sign of our long-term commitment to the potassium derivatives market”, said Jacques Sturm, vice president for the potassium derivatives business.

Potassium carbonate, also known as potash carbonate, is used in fertilizers and agrochemicals, in the food industry (for example, to process fruit and in the production of chocolate and wine) as well as to manufacture high-quality glass.

Vynova was founded in August 2015 as the chlor-vinyls platform of the International Chemical Investors Group (ICIG), which bought the assets divested by Inovyn, a joint venture formed between Ineos and Solvay. The assets were sold in exchange for EU approval of the merger.

Author: Elaine Burridge, Freelance Journalist