Evonik purchases hydrogen peroxide plant in Ontario from Kemira

ESSEN, Germany, Oct. 27, 2011 (Press Release) - Today, Evonik Industries purchased the hydrogen peroxide business of Kemira Chemicals Canada Inc. The transaction includes the production plant in Maitland (Ontario, Canada) and the customer portfolio. It also covers the employees at the site.

This makes Evonik one of the market leaders for hydrogen peroxide in North America (Canada and USA). With the takeover of the business, the company will increase its H₂O₂ capacity in North America by 44,000 metric tons to more than 200,000 metric tons per year. Evonik is already producing H₂O₂ there at the Gibbons (Alberta, Canada) and Mobile (Alabama, USA) sites.

"In taking over the Maitland production business, we're moving a step forward in our global growth strategy for hydrogen peroxide," said Dr. Dahai Yu, a member of Evonik's Executive Board.

Only recently, Evonik decided to construct a new H₂O₂ plant in Jilin, China, which is expected to come on stream at the end of 2013 with an annual capacity of 230,000 metric tons. With its current total capacity of more than 600,000 metric tons per year, Evonik is already a leading global supplier of hydrogen peroxide. The output from Maitland will supply mainly the North American pulp and paper industry with H₂O₂ as an eco-friendly oxidant.

"In our growth strategy, we give great importance to new technologies, as in Jilin, where we will supply H2O2 to a plant producing propylene oxide by direct chemical synthesis, and to selective acquisitions, as now in Maitland," said Jan Van den Bergh, head of Evonik's Advanced Intermediates Business Unit.

"With our new site, we are now geographically very well positioned also in North America, and can achieve even better proximity to our customers."

Company information

Evonik, the creative industrial group from Germany, is one of the world leaders in specialty chemicals. Its activities focus on the key megatrends health, nutrition, resource efficiency and globalization. In 2010 about 80 percent of the Group's chemicals sales came from activities where it ranks among the market leaders. Evonik benefits specifically from its innovative prowess and integrated technology platforms. Evonik is active in over 100 countries around the world. In fiscal 2010 more than 34,000 employees generated sales of around €13.3 billion and an operating profit (EBITDA) of about €2.4 billion