Mekog

Mekog, short for Maatschappij tot Exploitatie van Kooksovengas, was a Dutch chemical company established in 1928 to convert by-products of steelmaking into industrial chemicals and nitrogen fertilizer. Its facilities were built on the site of the Koninklijke Nederlandsche Hoogovens en Staalfabrieken steelworks near IJmuiden, on the North Sea Canal. The company’s original industrial rationale was closely tied to the integrated steelworks: coke production generated gas containing substantial quantities of hydrogen, and Mekog was created to recover that hydrogen rather than allow it to remain an underused by-product. Mekog was founded as a joint venture between Koninklijke Nederlandsche Hoogovens en Staalfabrieken and Bataafse Petroleum Maatschappij. Production began in September 1929. The initial process treated coke-oven gas to remove benzene, tar, carbon dioxide, and other compounds, then separated and purified hydrogen for ammonia synthesis. Ammonia was subsequently converted into ammonium sulphate, making the plant part of the emerging Dutch nitrogen-fertilizer industry. The original installation produced approximately 200 tonnes of ammonium sulphate per day. A nitric-acid plant opened in 1930, while a phosphoric-acid operation was attempted briefly during the 1930s but proved uneconomic. Production of calcium ammonium nitrate began in 1939. The company expanded after the Second World War. Capacity additions in 1949–1950 and 1955 increased primary ammonia capacity to more than 93,000 tonnes by 1955. The 1955 development also introduced petroleum as an industrial feedstock. In the following decades, Mekog’s production became increasingly connected to broader changes in Dutch energy and chemical manufacturing. The discovery and development of the Groningen natural-gas field altered the country’s energy balance, and the plant eventually moved away from coke-oven gas toward natural gas as the principal feedstock for ammonia production. Mekog underwent several corporate reorganizations. In 1961 it merged with Albatros Superfosfaatfabrieken to form Verenigde Kunstmestfabrieken Mekog-Albatros, commonly known as VKF. VKF later participated with BASF in Ammoniak Unie, which established an ammonia plant at Pernis. In 1972, VKF’s fertilizer activities were combined with DSM’s fertilizer division to form Unie van Kunstmest Fabrieken. The new enterprise was jointly associated with KNHS, Koninklijke Nederlandsche Zoutindustrie, Shell, and DSM. KNHS and KNZ withdrew in 1973, leaving DSM with approximately three quarters of the company, and UKF became a wholly owned DSM subsidiary in 1979. Mekog subsequently operated within DSM Agro BV. At its peak, the IJmuiden operation was a major industrial employer and fertilizer producer. In 1967 it produced approximately 564,000 tonnes of fertilizer, equivalent to about 145,000 tonnes of ammonia content, and employed as many as 1,160 people. Its later history was shaped less by product branding than by industrial integration, logistics, environmental risk, and the restructuring of European fertilizer production. In 2008, DSM and the Dutch government agreed to end potentially hazardous rail transportation of ammonia between IJmuiden and Geleen. The agreement made the former Mekog installation at IJmuiden economically unviable. DSM planned to close the IJmuiden plant on 1 January 2010 and received approximately €48 million in compensation from the Dutch government. Around 120 employees were made redundant directly because of the closure. The nitric-acid plant was transferred to Geleen during the first half of 2010. DSM Agro was acquired by Orascom Construction Industries in June 2010, and the relocated facility became part of OCI Agro within OCI’s Nitrogen division. The former IJmuiden nitric-acid installation was later dismantled; a chimney associated with the former plant was demolished in 2011. Mekog therefore survives primarily as an important historical name in the development of Dutch fertilizer and integrated steel-chemical manufacturing rather than as an active standalone brand.

Mekog was created in 1928 during the construction and early operation of the integrated steelworks at IJmuiden. Koninklijke Nederlandsche Hoogovens en Staalfabrieken was developing a large steelmaking complex on the north bank of the North Sea Canal, and coke production generated a stream of gases and chemical by-products. Rather than treating the gas solely as a fuel, the founders sought to recover useful chemical constituents. Mekog was established by KNHS and Bataafse Petroleum Maatschappij to exploit the hydrogen contained in coke-oven gas for ammonia production. The first Mekog facilities were located in the southeast part of the IJmuiden steelworks site. Commercial production began in September 1929. The coke-oven gas contained hydrogen together with methane, nitrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, benzene, tar, and related compounds. The plant’s treatment sequence removed unwanted substances, compressed the gas, extracted carbon dioxide, and used extreme refrigeration to liquefy most of the gas mixture while leaving hydrogen available for purification. The hydrogen was then used in ammonia synthesis at high temperature and pressure. The ammonia was absorbed in dilute sulphuric acid to produce ammonium sulphate, an important nitrogen fertilizer. Initial output was about 200 tonnes per day. Mekog broadened its chemical operations soon after opening. A nitric-acid plant began operating in 1930. A phosphoric-acid plant was also tried during the 1930s, but the operation was not economically successful and was short-lived. In 1939 the company began producing calcium ammonium nitrate. These additions made Mekog more than a single-product ammonia operation and linked the site to several major fertilizer product categories. Post-war reconstruction and agricultural modernization drove further expansion. Capacity was increased in 1949–1950 and again in 1955. By 1955, primary ammonia capacity exceeded 93,000 tonnes. The 1955 development introduced petroleum as a feedstock, indicating that Mekog’s technology and energy base were already changing. The decisive shift came after the discovery of the Groningen natural-gas field. Abundant Dutch natural gas changed the economics of industrial hydrogen and ammonia production, and Mekog eventually used natural gas rather than coke-oven gas as its main feedstock. The company’s corporate identity also changed repeatedly. In 1961 Mekog merged with Albatros Superfosfaatfabrieken to form Verenigde Kunstmestfabrieken Mekog-Albatros, or VKF. VKF entered a joint venture with BASF called Ammoniak Unie, which established an ammonia facility at Pernis. In 1972 VKF was combined with DSM’s fertilizer division to form Unie van Kunstmest Fabrieken. The new structure included KNHS, Koninklijke Nederlandsche Zoutindustrie, Shell, and DSM. KNHS and KNZ left the venture in 1973, after which DSM held about three quarters of the business. In 1979 UKF became fully owned by DSM, and Mekog was incorporated into the DSM Agro structure. The IJmuiden complex reached substantial scale. In 1967 it produced about 564,000 tonnes of fertilizer, representing roughly 145,000 tonnes of ammonia content, and employed up to 1,160 people. The site was an example of industrial symbiosis: steelmaking supplied chemical feedstocks, while the fertilizer business converted them into products for agriculture. Over time, however, the same integration that had made the plant attractive became less decisive as feedstocks, environmental requirements, transport safety, and production networks changed. A major late-stage issue was the movement of ammonia by rail between IJmuiden and Geleen. In 2008 DSM and the Dutch government reached an agreement intended to end this potentially dangerous transportation. The agreement removed the logistical basis for continuing the former Mekog plant at IJmuiden. DSM announced that the site would close on 1 January 2010 and received approximately €48 million in government compensation. Approximately 120 employees were directly made redundant as a result. The nitric-acid plant was relocated to Geleen during the first half of 2010. DSM Agro was acquired by Orascom Construction Industries in June of that year, and the transferred operation became part of OCI Agro in OCI’s Nitrogen division. The former IJmuiden installation was subsequently dismantled, including the demolition of a plant chimney in 2011. Mekog is therefore a defunct industrial company whose historical importance lies in its role in Dutch chemical engineering, the development of nitrogen fertilizer production, and the integration of steelmaking by-products with large-scale chemical manufacturing.

• 2011

  Former plant chimney is demolished

  [1]Mekogen.wikipedia.org

  A chimney at the former IJmuiden nitric-acid installation was demolished during the site’s post-closure dismantling.

• 2010

  IJmuiden plant closes and nitric-acid operations move

  [1]Mekogen.wikipedia.org

  The IJmuiden plant closed on 1 January, and its nitric-acid operation was moved to Geleen later in the year.

• 2008

  Agreement to end ammonia rail transport

  [1]Mekogen.wikipedia.org

  DSM and the Dutch government agreed to end ammonia rail transportation between IJmuiden and Geleen, undermining the viability of the IJmuiden plant.

• 1979

  UKF becomes a DSM subsidiary

  [1]Mekogen.wikipedia.org

  Unie van Kunstmest Fabrieken became fully owned by DSM, bringing Mekog within the DSM Agro group structure.

• 1972

  Formation of Unie van Kunstmest Fabrieken

  [1]Mekogen.wikipedia.org

  VKF’s fertilizer activities were combined with DSM’s fertilizer division to form Unie van Kunstmest Fabrieken.

• 1967

  Peak-scale fertilizer production recorded

  [1]Mekogen.wikipedia.org

  The plant produced approximately 564,000 tonnes of fertilizer and employed as many as 1,160 people.

• 1961

  Merger with Albatros Superfosfaatfabrieken

  [1]Mekogen.wikipedia.org

  Mekog merged with Albatros Superfosfaatfabrieken to form Verenigde Kunstmestfabrieken Mekog-Albatros.

• 1939

  Calcium ammonium nitrate is added

  [1]Mekogen.wikipedia.org

  The company began producing calcium ammonium nitrate fertilizer.

• 1930

  Nitric-acid production starts

  [1]Mekogen.wikipedia.org

  Mekog opened a nitric-acid plant, expanding beyond its original ammonium-sulphate operation.

• 1929

  Production begins at IJmuiden

  [1]Mekogen.wikipedia.org

  The IJmuiden plant began production in September, initially manufacturing ammonium sulphate from ammonia derived from treated coke-oven gas.

• 1928

  Mekog is established

  [1]Mekogen.wikipedia.org

  Mekog was founded as a joint venture between Koninklijke Nederlandsche Hoogovens en Staalfabrieken and Bataafse Petroleum Maatschappij to use hydrogen from coke-oven gas for ammonia and fertilizer production.

An integrated industrial chemical and fertilizer producer whose original competitive rationale was the conversion of coke-oven-gas by-products from the IJmuiden steelworks into ammonia and nitrogen fertilizers.

• Industrial chemical and fertilizer intermediate · 1929

  Ammonia

  Ammonia was Mekog’s core chemical intermediate. Originally, it was synthesized using hydrogen recovered from coke-oven gas generated by the adjacent steelworks. Later, the plant shifted toward petroleum and ultimately natural gas as feedstocks for hydrogen and ammonia production. Ammonia was used directly within the fertilizer chain and as the basis for ammonium sulphate, nitric acid, and other nitrogen products.

• Nitrogen fertilizer · 1929

  Ammonium sulphate

  Ammonium sulphate was the principal initial product of the IJmuiden operation. Mekog produced it by reacting synthesized ammonia with dilute sulphuric acid. The product supplied both nitrogen and sulphur for agricultural use and represented the company’s original commercial application of recovered hydrogen from coke-oven gas.

• Industrial chemical and fertilizer intermediate · 1930

  Nitric acid

  Mekog added nitric-acid production in 1930. Nitric acid supported the manufacture of nitrate fertilizers and became one of the site’s important downstream chemical operations. The nitric-acid plant was later relocated from IJmuiden to Geleen in 2010 after the original site became nonviable.

• Nitrogen fertilizer · 1939

  Calcium ammonium nitrate

  Calcium ammonium nitrate was added to Mekog’s product portfolio in 1939. It extended the company’s fertilizer range beyond ammonium sulphate and connected its ammonia and nitric-acid capabilities with a widely used granular nitrogen fertilizer.

• Industrial chemical

  Phosphoric acid

  Mekog briefly operated a phosphoric-acid plant during the 1930s. The operation was reported to be uneconomic and did not become a lasting part of the company’s manufacturing portfolio.

• 2010

  Relocate nitric-acid production to GeleenStrategy

  Background

  Closure of the IJmuiden plant made it necessary to determine whether part of the chemical operation could be retained elsewhere in the Dutch production network.

  Action taken

  The nitric-acid plant was moved to Geleen during the first half of 2010.

  Aftermath

  After Orascom Construction Industries acquired DSM Agro, the relocated operation became part of OCI Agro’s Nitrogen division.

  Source

• 2008

  End ammonia rail transportation and plan IJmuiden closureStrategy

  Background

  Transporting ammonia by rail between IJmuiden and Geleen was considered potentially dangerous. The agreement with the Dutch government changed the logistical conditions supporting the IJmuiden operation.

  Action taken

  DSM agreed to end the rail transportation and announced closure of the former Mekog plant at IJmuiden, with a planned closure date of 1 January 2010.

  Aftermath

  The IJmuiden plant closed, approximately 120 direct jobs were lost, and the nitric-acid operation was relocated to Geleen.

  Government compensation to DSM. Approximately €48 million (2008 agreement)

  Source

• 1972

  Combine VKF with DSM’s fertilizer divisionM&A

  Background

  Mekog-Albatros and DSM were reorganizing their fertilizer businesses into a larger Dutch fertilizer enterprise.

  Action taken

  VKF’s fertilizer division was merged with DSM’s fertilizer division to create Unie van Kunstmest Fabrieken.

  Aftermath

  After the withdrawal of KNHS and KNZ in 1973, DSM became the dominant shareholder, and UKF was fully owned by DSM from 1979.

  Source

• 1961

  Merge with Albatros SuperfosfaatfabriekenM&A

  Background

  The fertilizer industry was being consolidated, and Mekog combined with Albatros Superfosfaatfabrieken to broaden and reorganize its fertilizer activities.

  Action taken

  The companies formed Verenigde Kunstmestfabrieken Mekog-Albatros, known as VKF.

  Aftermath

  VKF later participated in the Ammoniak Unie joint venture with BASF and eventually became part of the DSM-centered fertilizer structure.

  Source

1. 1Mekogen.wikipedia.org