AkzoNobel’s Speciality Chemical business has completed the expansion of its Mariager production site in Denmark. The production unit supplies essential pharmaceutical grade salt for the healthcare industry.

The expansion has now increased the facility’s production capacity by 60 per cent. Prior to expansion supply struggled to keep up with growing demand. The products supplied by the facility are used as an active pharmaceutical ingredient in various applications, including intravenous solutions, insulin and baby food.

According to Nils van der Plas, General Manager of AkzoNobel’s Salt business, “Our facility produces the purest salt in the world. This expansion will now enable us 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.

“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”, said, Van der Plas. In addition to dialysis, pharmaceutical grade salt is also used as a base material for liquid medications and dietary formulations.