“The aim of this long-term project approved by the Central Bohemian
Regional Authority is to remove waste and residual mercury following the
terminated chlorine production using amalgam electrolysis. I am pleased that
after strenuous preparations, we have reached the phase of transport and
environmentally friendly disposal of fluid mercury waste, which has so far been
safely stored on the former production premises. In the next project stage, we
will focus on the disassembly of the production equipment and decontamination
of warehouse and shipping premises. Finally, the building will be torn down to
ready the site for a new use,” explains Miroslav Falta, Executive of Spolana.
The project covers about
160 tonnes of liquid mercury waste from former electrolysers. This mercury will
be stored in sealed containers that will be transported by a specialised Swiss
firm to Switzerland in the coming weeks and conversed to mercuric sulphide. In
this end, this substance will be stored in a specialised store in salt mines in
Hesse, Germany.
The production of polyvinylchloride
(PVC), which is an essential raw material used to make a broad range of
construction, textile, and clothing materials, remained preserved. Spolana is
the only PVC manufacturer in the Czech Republic. Chloride is also needed in the
production of intermediate product EDC, which was made through mercury
electrolysis. Now, this procedure is replaced by direct purchases of EDC from
an external supplier.
Completion of the
preparations and launch of the transport and disposal of mercury waste is
another significant step in the ongoing greening of Spolana. “Spolana is no longer an environmental
spectre from the past. We have been meeting all emissions limits for a long
time, and we invest dozens of millions of korunas in environmental protection
each year. This year, we have commissioned a new gas-fuelled boiler house for
CZK 200 million. It replaced the existing facility, which used lignite. This
step significantly decreased the volume of substances released into the air.
Sulphur dioxide emissions dropped by 99%; dust and NOx emissions fell by 90%,
and CO2 emissions went down by 60%,” Miroslav Falta concludes.
SPOLANA a.s. is one
of the largest chemical manufacturing companies in the Czech Republic and the
only manufacturer of PVC and caprolactam also producing ammonium sulphate, and
sulphuric acid. It currently employs over 700 people. Spolana has been owned by
Unipetrol since 2016. The Unipetrol Group is the largest refining and
petrochemical company in the Czech Republic. It focuses on crude oil processing
and production, distribution and sale of fuels and petrochemical products –
especially plastics and fertilisers. In all these areas, it is one of the major
players in the Czech and Central European markets. The Unipetrol group includes
refineries and production plants in Litvínov and Kralupy nad Vltavou, Paramo
with the Mogul brand in Pardubice and Kolín, the Spolana company in Neratovice,
and two research centres in Litvínov and Brno. Unipetrol also includes Benzina
ORLEN petrol station network, which is the largest chain in the Czech Republic
with 412 stations. Unipetrol is one of the largest companies in the Czech
Republic in terms of turnover. Last year, it earned more than CZK 130 billion
and employs more than 4,700 people. In 2005, Unipetrol became part of the PKN
Orlen Group, the largest oil processor in Central Europe.
Contact details:
Pavel Kaidl, spokesperson, telephone: +420 736 502 520, e-mail:
pavel.kaidl@unipetrol.cz