Austria
Evonik Peroxid GMbH
Built in 1908, Evonik Peroxid GmbH in Weißenstein was the world’s first hydrogen peroxide factory and produces these chemicals to this day.
Known as the “Weißenstein Process,” the electrolytic hydrogen peroxide production method named for this site was the first technology developed and implemented anywhere in the world for manufacturing hydrogen peroxide on an industrial scale.
Today, some 100 employees produce roughly 60,000 metric tons of H2O2 annually, making Weißenstein the gateway to H2O2 markets in Austria and Eastern Europe. Hydrogen peroxide is used primarily as a bleaching agent and disinfectant, as well as in medicine and biology.
No longer used for production, the Weißenstein Process has been replaced by the anthraquinone auto-oxidation method, a technique that saves a great deal of energy and raw materials. In addition to hydrogen peroxide, the Weißenstein site also manufactures peracetic acid and polyoxycarboxylic acids.
PRODUCTS
Hydrogen peroxide (H202), peracetic acid, polyoxycarboxylic acid