VYNOVA

From 7 to 8 November 2018, Vynova Wilhelmshaven hosted a very productive meeting with the Polymers for Europe Alliance. Ron Marsh, Chairman of Polymers for Europe Alliance, and Alexandre Dangis, Managing Director of the association of European plastics converters (EuPC), travelled to Vynova’s site at Wilhelmshaven (Germany), to present the new criteria for the upcoming Best Polymer Producers Awards for Europe, and to discuss the future of the industry.

The rise in use of PVC for pipes began in Germany in the 1930s. Residential drinking water was the first application for an installed PVC piping network. After the Second World War, the technology spread, as the benefits of using PVC became more widely recognised. Indeed, this versatile material is lightweight, resistant to chemicals and corrosion, and has the ability to withstand higher temperatures. By 1960, the first American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard for PVC piping had been issued.

The development of electrolysis as an industrial technology was a breakthrough for the commercial manufacturing of chemicals. Using this process to produce chlorine and caustic soda (NaOH, also called sodium hydroxide) or caustic potash (KOH, also known as potassium hydroxide) began late in the 19th century. Early technology involved the use of mercury cells, while newer membrane cell technology was developed in the 1960s.

Vynova is Europe’s leading supplier of potassium derivatives. We are the only supplier with two independent manufacturing facilities – in Tessenderlo (Belgium), and at our affiliated site of Potasse et Produits Chimiques (PPC) in Thann (France). Our state-of-the-art electrolysis process produces potassium hydroxide (KOH) in liquid form, which is then used as raw material for KOH solid as well as potassium carbonate (K₂CO3).

At Vynova, we are committed to continuous improvement. That’s why we have taken a good look at our company DNA to distill the characteristics that truly define us.