Thermphos International
Encyclopedia
The Themphos International B.V. is a venture of the chemical industry
, which produces phosphorus
and inorganic phosphorus compounds. In 2005 it earned about 550 Million Euros and employs about 1200 people. It is Europe's only producer of elemental phosphorus. The company is also involved in recycling phosphorus. It used to be a former affiliate of the German chemicals company Hoechst AG
and was taken over in 2003 by a group of private investors, led by the Italian-Israeli businessman Nahum Galmor
.
), with supporting production centres in Europe, Asia, and South America.
In North America, the company operates a sales center in Anniston
, Alabama
and Mattawan, Canada
.
Worldwide, the company has 16 daughter corporations:
and phosphates. This ranges from elemental phosphorus to base chemicals of phosphate chemistry, such as phosphoric Acid
and polyphosphoric acid, phosphorous chloride, phosphorus pentoxide
, phosphorus pentasulfide
, aluminium phosphate
, calcium phosphate
, ammonium phosphate
, potassium phosphate
, and sodium phosphate, as well as other additives for plastics and ceramics as well as food industries. Phosphorus is one of the three main nutrients present in fertilizer
.
and dioxine. If these problems are not solved quickly, VROM said, the factory must be closed.
Chemical industry
The chemical industry comprises the companies that produce industrial chemicals. Central to the modern world economy, it converts raw materials into more than 70,000 different products.-Products:...
, which produces phosphorus
Phosphorus
Phosphorus is the chemical element that has the symbol P and atomic number 15. A multivalent nonmetal of the nitrogen group, phosphorus as a mineral is almost always present in its maximally oxidized state, as inorganic phosphate rocks...
and inorganic phosphorus compounds. In 2005 it earned about 550 Million Euros and employs about 1200 people. It is Europe's only producer of elemental phosphorus. The company is also involved in recycling phosphorus. It used to be a former affiliate of the German chemicals company Hoechst AG
Hoechst AG
Hoechst AG was a German chemicals then life-sciences company that became Aventis Deutschland after its merger with France's Rhône-Poulenc S.A. in 1999...
and was taken over in 2003 by a group of private investors, led by the Italian-Israeli businessman Nahum Galmor
Nahum Galmor
Nahum Galmor is an Italian-Israeli businessman residing in Switzerland.He has been the owner and chairman of the board of the Dutch company Thermphos since 2003. Thermphos is one of the world’s largest manufacturer of phosphorus products.-Career:Nahum Galmor studied economics in the USA and holds...
.
Sites
The headquarters of the venture is in Vlissingen (in the NetherlandsNetherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
), with supporting production centres in Europe, Asia, and South America.
In North America, the company operates a sales center in Anniston
Anniston
Anniston may refer to:* Places:** Anniston, Alabama** Anniston, Missouri* Anniston Munitions Center* Anniston * USS Anniston, a.k.a. USS Montgomery See also:* Aniston...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
and Mattawan, Canada
Mattawan, Ontario
Mattawan is a township in the Canadian province of Ontario. Located in the Nipissing District, the township had a population of 147 in the Canada 2006 Census....
.
Worldwide, the company has 16 daughter corporations:
- Thermphos International BV, NetherlandsNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
- Thermphos Deutschland GmbH, GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
- Thermphos France S.A.R.L., FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
- Thermphos UK Ltd., Great BritainGreat BritainGreat Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
- Thermphos Food Additive Co. Ltd., ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
- Sudamfos S.A., ArgentinaArgentinaArgentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
- Omnisal GmbH, GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
- Thermphos Trading GmbH, SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
- Thermphos Dequest AG, SwitzerlandSwitzerlandSwitzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
- Thermphos Dequest UK Ltd., Great BritainGreat BritainGreat Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
- Thermphos België BVBA, BelgiumBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
- Thermphos Investments Singapore Pte. Ltd, SingaporeSingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
- Thermphos Japan Ltd., JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
- Thermphos USA Corp., United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
- Sudamfos Comercio de Produtos Quimicos do Brasil Ltda., BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
- Industrial Park Vlissingen, NetherlandsNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
Products
Thermphos products center around phosphorusPhosphorus
Phosphorus is the chemical element that has the symbol P and atomic number 15. A multivalent nonmetal of the nitrogen group, phosphorus as a mineral is almost always present in its maximally oxidized state, as inorganic phosphate rocks...
and phosphates. This ranges from elemental phosphorus to base chemicals of phosphate chemistry, such as phosphoric Acid
Phosphoric acid
Phosphoric acid, also known as orthophosphoric acid or phosphoric acid, is a mineral acid having the chemical formula H3PO4. Orthophosphoric acid molecules can combine with themselves to form a variety of compounds which are also referred to as phosphoric acids, but in a more general way...
and polyphosphoric acid, phosphorous chloride, phosphorus pentoxide
Phosphorus pentoxide
Phosphorus pentoxide is a chemical compound with molecular formula P4O10 . This white crystalline solid is the anhydride of phosphoric acid. It is a powerful desiccant.-Structure:...
, phosphorus pentasulfide
Phosphorus pentasulfide
Phosphorus pentasulfide is the inorganic compound with the formula P4S10. This yellow solid is the one of two phosphorus sulfides of commercial value...
, aluminium phosphate
Aluminium phosphate
Aluminium phosphate is a chemical compound. It is used in cake mixes and in some baking powders as a leavening agent to help baked goods rise. Medicinally it is used as adsorbent for toxoid.-Uses:...
, calcium phosphate
Calcium phosphate
Calcium phosphate is the name given to a family of minerals containing calcium ions together with orthophosphates , metaphosphates or pyrophosphates and occasionally hydrogen or hydroxide ions ....
, ammonium phosphate
Ammonium phosphate
Ammonium phosphate is the salt of ammonia and phosphoric acid. It has the formula 3PO4 and consists of ammonium cations and phosphate anion. It is obtained as a crystalline powder upon mixing concentrated solutions of ammonia and phosphoric acid, or on the addition of excess of ammonia to the...
, potassium phosphate
Potassium phosphate
Potassium phosphate is a generic term for the salts of potassium and phosphate ions including:* Monopotassium phosphate * Dipotassium phosphate * Tripotassium phosphate...
, and sodium phosphate, as well as other additives for plastics and ceramics as well as food industries. Phosphorus is one of the three main nutrients present in fertilizer
Fertilizer
Fertilizer is any organic or inorganic material of natural or synthetic origin that is added to a soil to supply one or more plant nutrients essential to the growth of plants. A recent assessment found that about 40 to 60% of crop yields are attributable to commercial fertilizer use...
.
Environmental issues
In September 2010 the Public Health authorities of The Netherlands (VROM) issued an ultimatum on the Thermphos Industrial Park Vlissingen because of enduring severe environmental and safety problems related to emission of and exposure to cadmiumCadmium
Cadmium is a chemical element with the symbol Cd and atomic number 48. This soft, bluish-white metal is chemically similar to the two other stable metals in group 12, zinc and mercury. Similar to zinc, it prefers oxidation state +2 in most of its compounds and similar to mercury it shows a low...
and dioxine. If these problems are not solved quickly, VROM said, the factory must be closed.