There are many, many environmental concerns associated with the use of coal as a fuel for electrical power plants. One of the most intractable has been the emission of mercury, a highly toxic chemical that tends to concentrate in the food chain.
Now Albemarle Corp., a Richmond-headquartered manufacturer of specialty chemicals, has signed a letter of intent to acquire Ohio-based Sorbent Technologies Corporation, a full-service power plant mercury control provider. The $20 million deal combines Sorbent’s mercury-control solutions, which utilize bromine, with Albemarle’s $2.4 billion in revenues, its expertise in bromine manufacturing, and its track record in commercializing new specialty chemical products. (Read the press release.)
Says Albemarle CEO Mark C. Rohr: “Escalating energy demands and the global call for environmentally sound power generation have converged to present tremendous opportunity for Albemarle’s leading bromine chemistry, as utilities and industrial plants seek cost-effective solutions to reduce emissions.”