Chemische Industrie Uithoorn

Chemische Industrie Uithoorn (Cindu, later Cindu Chemicals) was a chemical company in Uithoorn, Netherlands specialising in processing from coal tar. The company was founded in 1922 as Teerbedrijf Uithoorn (TEBU), and operated under a number of company names. It was acquired by Koppers in 2010 and renamed Koppers Netherlands.

Chemische Industrie Uithoorn (Cindu)
later
Cindu Chemicals BV
IndustryChemical
PredecessorTeerbedrijf Uithoorn (TEBU) (1922-1952)
Teerunie (1952-1959)
SuccessorKoppers Netherlands BV (2010-)
Founded1922, as Teerbedrijf Uithoorn
FounderJ.A. van Seumeren
Headquarters
Uithoorn
,
Netherlands
ProductsCoal tar derivatives
Revenue€50 million (2008)[1]
Number of employees
122[2]

A subsidiary producing polymers from tar derived chemicals was formed in 1960 as Neville Cindu Chemie (later Nevcin Polymers) and operated from the same site in Uithoorn. A reactor at the factory exploded in 1992, causing three deaths and several injuries. As of 2012 the company is still in operation and a subsidiary of Resinall Rutgers Resins since 2011.

History

Industrial chemical activity in Uithoorn dates to at least 1863; the Koninklijke Chemische Fabriek produced primarily Sulphuric acid the site. The company was acquired by rival sulphuric acid produced Ketjen en Co.[note 1] who concentrated their manufacturing capacity in Amsterdam. The plant in Uithoorn closed, and was sold for demolition in 1916.[3] In 1922 the factory was acquired by J.A. van Seumeren who created a tar processing facility under the company Teerbedrijf Uithoorn (TEBU).[4] Koninklijke Hoogovens acquired a stake in the company in 1927.[5]

In 1952/3 the company merged with the Utrechtsche Asphaltfabriek NV in 1952 to form Teerunie NV, in 1959 the company was renamed Chemische Industrie Uithoorn (CINDU).[4][6] In 1953 a sales subsidiary (TEBU France) was established in France in 1953. (sold to the van Dijk family 1979 and now tebu-bio).[7]

During the 1970s pollution from in the Uithoorn area became a major source for public concern - Cindu was a major polluter. A public group werkgroep Cindroom was formed by concerned residents of Uithoorn.[8] During the 1970s new environmental protection laws were introduced in the Netherlands, including air quality, and odor nuisance regulations. Before emission control mechanisms were introduced the Cindu plant was estimated to emit ~200t per year into the air.[9] Discharges causing water pollution also exceeded standards, which the company could not realistically meet; exceptions to discharge limits were granted to 1988 whilst the company and authorities sought solutions.[10]

In 1991 the Cindu group (including subsidiaries) employed over 1700 of which over 500 were employed in Uithorn including about 120 at the Nevcin joint venture.[3]

Cindu's parent holding company Cindu International NV (formerly named Cindu - Key & Kramer NV) owned interests in a number of other companies, Cindu International was split up in 1997, and delisted 1999.[11][12] The coal tar activities at Uithoorn continued after 1997 as Cindu Chemicals, (50% owned by Koninklijke Hoogovens), as well as the joint venture Nevcin Polymers.[13]

In 2001 a storage tank for Naphthalene cracked; the resultant odor brought complaints about the odor of (moth balls), which was reported as far away as England.[14]

In 2010 the plant was sold to Koppers Inc..[1]

Nevcin

Neville Cindu Chemie was founded in 1959 as a 50:50 joint venture located in Uithorn, between Cindu International and Neville Chemical. The company manufactured organic resins.[15][16] The company was renamed Nevcin Polymers in 1984.[16]

On 8 July 1992 an overheating vessel at the Nevcin site exploded, resulting in a fire;[17] three people were killed and eleven wounded.[18] The accident was caused by the reaction vessel being wrongly filled with the reactive chemical Dicyclopentadiene the previous day.[19]

In 1999 Neville chemicals became sole owner of the company.[15][20] The company was renamed Neville Chemical Europe BV from the beginning of 2003.[21] In October 2011 the company was sold to Resinall Rutgers Resins (Germany).[22]

TTS

Tanker Transport Services BV (TTS) was established in 1965; it was the water transportation subsidiary of Cindu, operating tanker barges. It became a separate company in 2002 through a management buyout.[4][23]

Products

Cindu chemicals

In 2007 Cindu's output included Naphthalene, Creosote, Carbon black and Pitch used for the production of carbon electrodes, and also bitumen emulsions for road construction.[24]

The primary process carried out the site was by distillation at 350C, in addition to further purification processes. The primary source of raw material (tar) was Koninklijke Hoogovens, tar from the plant was shipped by barge to Uithoorn.[25]

As of 2012 the plant had a capacity to process 140000t of tar per year.[26]

Nevcin

Nevcin synthesises hydrocarbon resins, using distillates from cracking of the naphtha fraction, with polymerisation feedstock including isoprene, piperylene and cyclopentadiene (or dicyclopentadiene dimer) as well as styrene and styrene-type products including vinyltoluene, indene, methylindene and alpha-methylstyrene. Resins derived from Coumarone (Benzofuran) and indene are also produced.[27]

Notes
  1. Ketjen, founded by Gerhard Tileman Ketjen; one of the predecessor companies of AKZO.

References
  1. "Kopper Holdings buys Cindu Chemicals", www.businessweek.com, The Associated Press, 2 March 2010
  2. "Koppers Netherlands B.V.", investing.businessweek.com, Bloomberg LP, retrieved December 31, 2018
  3. Cindu 8 juli 1992, (NBDC), 2 : beschrijving Archived March 12, 2005, at the Wayback Machine, 2.1 Het bedrijf Archived February 16, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
  4. "Uithoorn aan de Amstel" (PDF), www.uithoorn.pvda.nl, Uithoorn Partij van de Arbeid, pp. 2–3, 17 December 2010, archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-09-05, retrieved 2012-02-16
  5. Martinus Nijhoff (1973), Studies on the history of the Netherlands, Nederlands Historisch Genootschap, p. 129, in order to increase sales of coal tar, Hoogovens acquired an interest in NV Teerbedrijf Uithoorn (Uithoorn Tar Company) (Tebu) in 1927
  6. "Organische Grundstoffe : Zwischenprodukte, Teerfarben, Weichmacher, Losungsmittel", Die chemische industrie (in German), Verlag Chemie, 14: 471, 1962
  7. "60 years of tebu-bio history". tebu-bio.com.
  8. Cindu 8 juli 1992, (NBDC), 3 : organisatiethemas Archived March 13, 2005, at the Wayback Machine, 3.2 Milieu, kwaliteit en veiligheid
  9. J. Tilma; G. Kokshoorn; A. Lammers (1992), "Treatment of Process Emissions to Air for Odour Reduction", in A. J. Dragt; J. van Ham (eds.), Studies in Environmental Science : Biotechniques for air pollution abatement and odour control policies : proceedings of an international symposium, Maastricht, the Netherlands, 27–29 October 1991, Elsevier Science Publishers BV, pp. 217–218, ISBN 0-444-89263-X
  10. Cindu 8 juli 1992, (NBDC), 2 : beschrijving Archived March 12, 2005, at the Wayback Machine, 2.2 Preventie en mitigatie Archived February 16, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
  11. "Reorganisatie hakt Cindu in stukken", www.volksrant.nl (in Dutch), 22 November 1997
  12. A. de Jong; P. J.G. Roosenboom; M.J.C.M. Verbeek; P. Verwijmeren (October 2007), "Hedgefondsen en Private Equity in Nederland" (PDF), www.rsm.nl (in Dutch), RSM Erasmus University, Appendix A. Private equity casussen : Overnames door private equity partijen met een beursexit; Casus 1. Cindu, pp.85-6, archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04, retrieved 2012-02-16
  13. "Cindu", www.trouw.nl (in Dutch), 22 November 1997
  14. "Stankoverlast door lek bij Cindu", www.volksrant.nl (in Dutch), 24 July 2001
  15. "ACQUISITIONS, EXPANSIONS", Rubber World via finarticles.com, April 1999, Neville Chemical, Pittsburgh, PA, has reached an agreement to become the sole owner of Nevcin Polymers B.V. Located in Uithoorn, the Netherlands, Nevcin Polymers has been a 50/50 joint venture since 1960 with Neville Chemical and Cindu International, through one of its affiliated companies
  16. "Neville Chemical Europe BV : General Introduction" (PDF), www.nevchem.nl, Neville
  17. Cindu 8 juli 1992, (NBDC), 2 : beschrijving Archived March 12, 2005, at the Wayback Machine, 2.4 Respons en hulpverlening
  18. Cindu 8 juli 1992, (NBDC), 2 : beschrijving Archived March 12, 2005, at the Wayback Machine, 2.5 Herstel Archived February 16, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
  19. G. Lettinga (April 1993), "Ambulance Command and Control in Chemical Accidents" (PDF), in J. Meulenbelt; G.J. Noordergraaf; T.J.F. Savelkoul (eds.), Health aspects chemical accidents (Proceedings), World Health Organization / Centre on the Health Aspects of Chemical Accidents, p. 133
  20. "Neville Chemical Company Finalizes Deal with Nevcin Polymers, B.V.", www.thefreelibrary.com, PRNewswire, 21 April 1999
  21. "Nevcin announces name change", www.specialchem4adhesives.com, Neville Chemical Company, 19 December 2002, archived from the original on 10 September 2012
  22. Sources:
  23. "TTS", ww.ttstankers.com
  24. "Products", www.cindu.nl, Cindu Chemicals BV, archived from the original on 23 August 2007
  25. "Activities", www.cindu.nl, Cindu Chemicals BV, archived from the original on 23 August 2007
  26. Koppers - Uithoorn Archived August 11, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Koppers Inc. company webpage
  27. "Neville Chemical Europe BV", www.nevchem.nl, Products and Markets : Hydrocarbon resins, archived from the original on 2008-09-20

Sources
Cindu
Nevcin
tebu-bio
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