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Company Profile

The full-service activated carbon provider with roots in the Ruhr region

To understand what makes us special as the CarboTech Group, it is important to know our roots. After all, they are what made our development possible in the first place. Our production facilities are located right in the center of the Ruhr area. Everything from production and finishing to the packaging of our customized products takes place here.

In addition to the continuous expansion of our product portfolio and our production and processing capabilities, CarboTech customers also benefit from our comprehensive full-service offering with our own service fleet. The CarboTech service fleet, which includes silo vehicles, multi-compartment vehicles and trucks, is also managed directly from our headquarters, so that our customers receive everything from a single source.

Through constant transformation and further development, we can proudly and confidently say today:

We're: GERMANY'S LEADING FULL-SERVICE PROVIDER IN THE FIELD OF ACTIVATED CARBON
Our heart beats in the Ruhr region
The roots of our group of companies lie in the Ruhr region. After all, nothing is more symbolic of coal mining than the “coal pot”. But even though the coal mining era is now a thing of the past, the values of the Ruhr region have survived in our company. The partnership-based exchange with our customers in our honest, direct manner, our reliability and our active commitment to solving problems for our customers are important cornerstones that our customers can always count on.

Tradtition and experience – a bridge to the future

Rooted in a heritage of German mining research and the local coal industry, CarboTech combines experience in production, application and process engineering. We see ourselves in the tradition of all those who are forever drawing knowledge from science and technology in order to apply it in ways that are economically viable for the benefit of people and their environment. That’s why we research and develop solutions to reduce environmental pollution and health hazards.

Strategically, we are guided by conventional requirements as much as by innovative applications and services. Our experts are conversant with the challenges of real-life settings, and it is precisely this engagement that our customers really appreciate.

Piktogramm eines Bergmanns mit einem Helm auf dem Kopf und einer Spitzhacke in den Händen
Foto vom Labor der CarboTech

Quality and economy

As the successor to CarboTech Aktivkohlen GmbH, CarboTech today presents itself as a modern, medium-sized company that also offers training apprenticeships. With our unswerving focus on the customer, we’re constantly working on improving what we do. High demands of product quality and service quality are something we absolutely expect.

Use of our activated carbons opens the door to new solutions that are as reliable as they are economical. Our experienced specialists rise to the challenge of this complex, demanding task each day – and do so with great success.

History

In Business since 1956

After world war 2, the Bergwerksverband GmbH (mining association) began setting up experimental facilities for the production of purest carbon and activated carbon. Thanks to many years of experimenting, it proved possible to produce very high quality activated carbon from hard coal. In 1955, a large-scale pilot plant was erected on the site of the former Queen Elisabeth coalmine in Essen and on February 29th, 1956, it was put into operation. This was the beginning of the company history of CarboTech AC GmbH.

Foundation

Foundation of the hard coal mining society

1938

Development of activated carbons

The development of activated carbons from hard coal began in the post-war years

1945

Commissioning of a large-scale pilot plant

For the production of purest carbon on the site of the former Queen Elisabeth coalmine in Essen

1956

Foundation of Bergbau-Forschung GmbH

As the research institute of the hard coal mining society for the development of new technologies for extracting, refining and utilisation of carbon. Until 1988 the activated carbon manufacturer Bergwerks-verband was a 100 % subsidiary of the Bergau-Forschung

1958

Development of carbon molecular sieves

During the years thereafter, the development of carbon molecular sieves (CMS-N2 and CMS-H2) enabled the production of up to 99.999 % pure nitrogen and hydrogen by Bergbau-Forschung GmbH

1970

Patents for Pressure Swing Adsorption Systems (PSA)

During the years between 1972 and 1980 Bergbau-Forschung received various patents for PSA plants for nitrogen production and hydrogen purification

1971

Beginning of activated carbon reactivation

According to the fluidised bed method developed by Bergbau-Forschung

1974

DeSOx/DeNOx-procedure

Development of the dry DeSOx/DeNOx-procedure with activated carbon

1980

Foundation of CarboTech Aktivkohlen GmbH

Production, further processing and sales of activated coke and activated carbon and thiocyanates

1989

Spin-off of CarboTech Anlagenbau GmbH

Later renamed CarboTech Engineering GmbH (now owned by Viessmann Group)

1993

Expansion of the product range to include powdered activated carbons and impregnated activated carbons

Plug & Clean-Systems Beginning of the service business with Plug & Clean-Systems

1993

Expansion of the product range

To include base materials that do not originate from coal (DGK types)

1998

Switch to RÜTGERS Chemicals AG

CarboTech Aktivkohlen GmbH switches to RÜTGERS Chemicals AG

2001

Merger of CarboTech Aktivkohlen GmbH with RÜTGERS Umwelt-Service GmbH

Renamed RÜTGERS CarboTech GmbH

2002

Carbon Catalyst

Development of the Carbon Catalyst for NOx removal

2004

International Chemical Investors Group

RÜTGERS CarboTech GmbH taken over by International Chemical Investors Group

2005

Company name chamged to CarboTech AC GmbH

2006

First social plan in the history of CarboTech

2012

Strategic realignment of the shareholders

2015

Expansion and commissioning of heat recovery for activation

2016

Planning and implementation of logistics concept for the expansion of the Essen site, upgrading of the rotary kiln for reclamation

2017

Expansion of handling area for the Plug & Clean systems

2018

Strategic realignment of the Group

Renovation of the company premises and building, development of marketing and sales, generation of new sales partners

2020

Further development of strategic approaches

Market entry in the beverage, food, cement and automotive industries, expansion of the logistics concept at the Essen site, acquisition of the company premises from the lease, sale of the company property at the old production site in Castrop-Rauxel

2021

Investments in the location

Investments of EUR 6.5 million in logistics, infrastructure and production to increase productivity and maximize production capacity utilization

2022

Milestone in the strategic orientation

Expansion into a full service provider with a changeover service (including silo and multi-chamber vehicles), cooperation in plant construction, plug & clean systems, grinding and packaging systems as well as training and consulting centers.

2023