LANXESS AG is building a new chemical plant at its site in Bitterfeld, Germany. This marks the specialty chemicals group’s move into a new segment of the water treatment business.

The company is investing a total of around EUR 30 million in this pioneering project. LANXESS plans to develop and produce membrane filtration technology in Bitterfeld. The State of Saxony-Anhalt is sponsoring this project by up to EUR 6 million. In the long term, this project will create 200 new jobs at the Bitterfeld site. The new plant is scheduled to be taken into operation for a pilot and development phase towards the end of this year. As things stand today, the first products should be launched on the market in 2011. An area totaling some 4,000 square meters has been set aside for the creation of high-tech laboratories, logistics areas, offices and a new, state-of-the-art production facility. The membrane technology is used to filter out unwanted substances from water.

Key commitment to Germany as a business location

“Usable water supplies are dwindling worldwide, thus becoming an increasingly valuable resource. Thanks to LANXESS’s pioneering investment in Bitterfeld, we are now able to offer additional products for water treatment and thus further strengthen our strong market position,” explained Axel C. Heitmann, Chairman of the Board of Management of LANXESS AG, at a groundbreaking ceremony held on Thursday in Bitterfeld. “Our high-tech products, such as the powerful Lewatit ion exchange resins, are already helping to ease global water problems today.”