Solvay and Enirgi Chemicals join forces to market SOLVAir solutions
Solvay and Enirgi Chemicals join forces to market SOLVAir solutions for emissions treatment in North America
Brussels, Toronto, May 19th, 2015 — Solvay and Enirgi Chemicals have created a 50-50 joint venture to speed up the development and offering of sodium bicarbonate based products and solutions to reduce airborne emissions from industries in North America.
The new entity, SOLVAir Natural Solutions, was formed in response to growing demand for air pollution control applications, including flue gas treatments. Demand growth is driven by tightening North American regulations and consent decrees requiring coal-fired power plants and other industries to improve the air quality and limit acid gas emissions, such as sulfur dioxide and trioxide (SOx) and hydrochloric acid (HCl).
The joint venture will source sodium bicarbonate from Enirgi Chemicals and leverage Solvay know-how to further develop the market. SOLVAir Natural Solutions will enhance the security of supply of cost-efficient products and solutions, as well as high-quality services, exclusively for flue gas treatments in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Solvay’s Soda Ash & Derivatives Global Business Unit (GBU) is well-established in designing and implementing customized and cost-efficient flue gas solutions. More than 450 industrial sites worldwide use its SOLVAir® treatment to reduce emissions below regulated levels. “This joint venture offers both the technological expertise and capacity to improve the air quality at limited investments for our customers. It fits with Solvay’s bicarbonate growth ambition in bringing innovative and sustainable solutions and products to the market,” said Christophe Clemente, President of Solvay’s Soda Ash & Derivatives GBU.
Enirgi Chemicals, through its Natural Soda operations, owns and operates the world’s largest known deposit of naturally occurring sodium bicarbonate and uses an environmentally friendly, low emission extraction technology. “This agreement represents a natural step in the expansion of our soda business and our goal of becoming a major supplier of soda derivatives to the market,” said Ms. Sara Schaeffner, President and CEO of Natural Soda, and Vice President, Global Sales and Marketing for Enirgi.
Solvay Soda Ash & Derivatives is a world leader in its sector, producing soda ash serving the glass, detergent and chemical markets and developing solutions based on sodium bicarbonate and trona serving the healthcare, food, animal feed, and flue gas cleaning markets. SA&D has 11 industrial sites worldwide, more than 3,700 employees and serves 90 countries.
As an international chemical group, Solvay assists industries in finding and implementing ever more responsible and value-creating solutions. Solvay generates 90% of its net sales in activities where it is among the world’s top three players. It serves many markets, varying from energy and the environment to automotive and aerospace or electricity and electronics, with one goal: to raise the performance of its clients and improve society’s quality of life. The group is headquartered in Brussels, employs about 26,000 people in 52 countries and generated 10.2 billion euros in net sales in 2014. Solvay SA SOLB.BE) is listed on Euronext in Brussels and Paris (Bloomberg: SOLB.BB – Reuters: SOLB.BR). Follow us on twitter @SolvayGroup
Enirgi Chemicals is a division of Enirgi Group Corporation, a global, diversified industrial and chemicals company that owns and operates a portfolio of world-class assets and operations located around the world. Part of Enirgi Chemicals, Natural Soda owns the world’s largest known deposit of naturally occurring sodium bicarbonate and is one of the largest producers in North America for the food and beverage, agriculture, industrial, pharmaceutical and specialty markets. Located in northwestern Colorado, Natural Soda currently produces nine grades of sodium bicarbonate using low cost, environmentally responsible solution mining technology to ensure the protection of the environment while adhering to stringent health and safety practices that also ensure the well-being of our workforce. Natural Soda exports product to nearly 20 countries across six continents and, with the commissioning of its next expansion in 2016, will become the world’s largest stand-alone sodium bicarbonate production operation and a major supplier of soda derivatives to global markets.