Press Release

Calgon Carbon Adds Additional Activated Carbon Recycling Furnace in Belgium

PITTSBURGH, PA  –  09/23/2020

New industrial reactivation furnace will allow for an additional 24 million pounds of reactivated carbon per year

• • Expected to be operational in second half of 2022
  • Will help customers meet Europe’s sustainability focused regulations

Calgon Carbon Corporation today announced that it will add an industrial reactivation furnace at its Chemviron operations in Feluy, Belgium. The Feluy site is the largest reactivation facility in the world, and this new furnace will add 11,000 MT (24 million pounds) a year to the site’s total capacity.

Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, Jim Coccagno, said, “The activated carbon market for industrial applications is expected to continue to grow. This new reactivation furnace will allow us to meet European industrial customer needs while keeping more product from landfills or incineration, and thus participate actively in the sustainable use of natural resources and reduction of CO₂ emissions.”

“Chemviron has been a leading reactivator in Europe for over 80 years. Here in Belgium we started reactivating spent carbon in 1974,” said Reinier Keijzer, President of Chemviron. “This new multi-hearth furnace will ensure that Chemviron continues to provide top quality reactivation service to its customers.”

What is Reactivation or Carbon Recycling

Activated carbon is used to adsorb a wide range of compounds from liquids and gases by a process known as “adsorption.” Through adsorption, molecules contained in liquid or gas are attracted and retained on a solid surface.

Once activated carbon is saturated, or the treatment objective is reached, it is referred to as “spent carbon.” Spent carbon has insufficient adsorption capacity left for the intended application.

Unlike powdered forms of activated carbon, spent granular and extruded carbon can typically be recycled, by thermal reactivation, for reuse. Reactivation is a process defined as “the return of spent carbon to an acceptable activity level necessary for the application in which it is used.

Reactivation involves treating the spent carbon in a high temperature reactivation furnace, reaching temperatures of up to 950°C (1742°F), by carefully controlling operating parameters such as residence time, temperature profile and gas composition. During this treatment process, the undesirable organics on the carbon are thermally destroyed.

About Calgon Carbon Corporation

Calgon Carbon, a wholly owned subsidiary of Kuraray Co., Ltd. (TYO: 3405) (Kuraray), is a global leader in the manufacture and distribution of innovative coal-, wood- and coconut-based activated carbon products – in granular, powdered, pelletized and cloth form – to meet the most challenging purification demands of customers throughout the world.  Complemented by world-class activated carbon and ultraviolet (UV) light purification and disinfection equipment systems and service capabilities, as well as diatomaceous earth and perlites, Calgon Carbon provides purification solutions for more than 700 distinct applications, including drinking water, wastewater, pollution abatement, and a variety of industrial and commercial manufacturing processes.

Headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Calgon Carbon employs approximately 1,350 people and operates 20 manufacturing, reactivation, innovation and equipment fabrication facilities in the U.S., Asia, and in Europe, where Calgon Carbon is known as Chemviron.

Calgon Carbon was acquired by Kuraray in March of 2018. With complementary products and services, the combined organization will continue to focus on providing the highest quality and most innovative activated carbon and filtration media products, equipment, and services to meet customer needs anywhere in the world. For more information, visit calgoncarbon.com or chemviron.eu.

Media Contact:

Amanda Lofty, Amanda.Lofty@Kuraray.com, 724-541-2658