Ningbo - China

LANXESS (Ningbo) Pigments Co., Ltd. - The Inorganic Pigments site in Ningbo has an investment value of approx. EUR 60 million and consists of a Red iron oxide pigments manufacturing unit with an annual production capacity of 25,000 metric tons as well as a mixing & milling unit with an annual output capacity of 70,000 metric tons. The mixing & milling unit is designed to process the red iron oxide pigments from the Ningbo site. The Ningbo plant hasstarted production in the first half of 2016. A total of approx. 200 new jobs have been created at the Ningbo site. It will use a unique and patented production process newly developed by LANXESS which is called the Ningbo Process.  

LANXESS is manufacturing high-quality New Red pigments in Ningbo using this highly innovative Ningbo Process. It is the first truly sustainable Red iron oxide production process in China with extensive recycling and treatment of all by-products. For example, process optimization truly leads to a significant reduction of generated laughing gas and nitric oxides. The remaining off-gas has been treated in a special waste gas treatment unit so that the residues can be processed in a nitric acid recovery unit and re-used as raw materials. Compared with the traditional Penniman Red process mainly used by Chinese producers, the Ningbo Process uses a special catalyst to convert laughing gas to naturally occurring nitrogen gas, oxygen and water. Thanks to a particularly energy-efficient process, the plant fully meets the highest environmental standards globally.