Expansion of pharma salt production by AkzoNobel in Mariager, Denmark

AkzoNobel’s Specialty Chemicals business has completed the expansion of a production site in Denmark which supplies essential pharmaceutical grade salt for the healthcare industry.

Located in Mariager, the products supplied by the facility are used as an active pharmaceutical ingredient in various applications, including intravenous solutions, insulin and baby food. Prior to the expansion – which increased capacity by 60% – supply struggled to keep up with demand.

“Our facility produces the purest salt in the world,” explained Nils van der Plas, General Manager of AkzoNobel’s Salt business. “This expansion will now enable us to serve a strong growing market worldwide.”

He added that the main market for pharmaceutical grade salt lies in dialysis solutions. The number of dialysis treatments is increasing across the globe, mainly due to increasing number of patients and improving health care in many developing countries.

“Following a year of detailed engineering, construction and testing, the Mariager site is now well positioned to continue capturing the organic dialysis market developments,” continued Van der Plas. “This specific market is growing globally by 7 to 8% per year and is expected to continue growing at this pace for at least another generation.”

In addition to dialysis, pharmaceutical grade salt is also used as a base material for liquid medications and dietary formulations.