Calgon Carbon Celebrates Two Decades in Pearlington Mississippi, $13 Million Expansion Under Way
Calgon Carbon’s research team has developed materials to deal with environmental regulations that remove by-products from water purification and pending regulations to reduce mercury emissions from coal-generated power plants.
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Calgon Carbon Corporation’s Pearl River Plant
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Granulated activated carbon used to purify water, air, food and medicines is processed in South Mississippi and shipped around the world.
Calgon Carbon Corporation’s Pearl River Plant in Port Bienville Industrial Park, Hancock County, will celebrate its 20th anniversary Wednesday. The company is the world’s largest manufacturer of activated carbon products, with more than 100 types of granular, powdered and pelletized activated carbons made from coal, wood or coconut.
The plant was opened in Mississippi in 1991 because of its proximity to the Gulf of Mexico, said Jim Sullivan, vice president of American operations for the company, based in Pittsburgh.
Bituminous coal mined in Kentucky, West Virginia and other areas is trucked to Pearlington. There the coal is processed through multiple unit operations to produce activated carbon, said Sullivan, loaded onto ships and sent throughout the United States, Europe and Asia.
The plant quickly reopened two months after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, producing approximately 40 million pounds of granular and powdered activated carbon annually.
Despite current market fluctuations, Calgon Carbon and its Pearl River Plant are benefitting from new worldwide environmental standards. A $13 million project to expand the capacity of the plant is under way and should be completed by mid-2012.
“A lot of our products are related to the environment,” said Sullivan.
The company developed purification systems for drinking water and wastewater systems and pollution abatement. Although municipalities are operating under tight budgets, they continue to invest in products that protect the public, he said.
“We’re seeing expanding demand for our product. We also are growing in emerging markets,” he said, including Asia, China and India.
The company has 1,200 employees worldwide, including 45 employees in Pearlington, where James Bihl is plant manager.
“It’s an excellent workforce there,” Sullivan said. Many of the employees have worked at the Pearl River Plant all 20 years.
“That’s why we’re investing heavily,” he said. The plant is the second largest in the company and Sullivan said Calgon Carbon is considering other expansion opportunities on its 100-acre site in South Mississippi.
Calgon Carbon got its start in carbon production during World War II when coconut shells couldn’t produce enough granular activated carbon, used in military gas masks. Pittsburgh Coke and Chemical developed an activated carbon product from bituminous coal and the new company was formed. Calgon Carbon’s research team has developed materials to deal with environmental regulations that remove by-products from water purification and pending regulations to reduce mercury emissions from coal-generated power plants.
Sullivan said they continue to look for new applications and develop technology that will protect the environment and ultimately benefit South Mississippi and the world.
— By Mary Perez, Sun Herald
To stop by Calgon Carbon Corporation’s website, CLICK HERE
