Fertilizer International 494 Jan-Feb 2020
31 January 2020
THEN & NOW
Fertilizer International reached its 50th anniversary in 2019. The magazine’s continuing success is built on mutually beneficial partnerships forged over five decades. This year, we are continuing to show our appreciation by profiling a much-valued commercial supporter in every issue. This month it’s the turn of renowned clean air technology company Kimre, a stalwart long-term advertiser. Founded in Florida by MIT graduate George C Pedersen in 1973, this leading global business is still headquartered in Homestead, Florida, within easy driving distance of both Miami and Key Largo. Marketing manager Christine McAniff offers her personal take on Kimre’s success story…
Company profile
As we embark on another successful year, we would like to take the opportunity to recognise and thank our loyal clients. Without them, our longstanding success in the industry would not be possible. For more than 45 years, Kimre engineers and application specialists have been solving process and gas stream emission problems in chemical and fertilizer plants around the globe. This invaluable experience provides us with a superior understanding of gas and vapour stream separation and mass heat transfer. At Kimre, we pride ourselves on our trusted relationship with clients – and on developing and maintaining these.
Our main office and manufacturing facility is based out of Homestead, Florida. Being a global business, we are ably supported by our Pennsylvania factory, our Chinese partner and our worldwide network of distributors and representatives. Process engineers, environmental engineers and production managers all recognise Kimre as a valuable and trusted resource. We are responsive and committed to boosting production and efficiency in the chemical process industry.
Kimre offers several services, from top of the line filtration to customised turnkey air pollution control systems. We design, engineer and manufacture our monofilament products – from raw materials to the finished item. Our fibre bed filter division ensures that each filter is tested on-site. We staff a brilliant team of highly qualified engineers who are experts in various applications, such as ammonium nitrate, chrome nitric acid, phosphates, sulphuric acid, urea granulation and oil mist.
Our latest development
Using our own SXF Semi-Cross Flow Horizontal Scrubber ™ with AEROSEP MULTI-STAGE AEROSOL SEPARATION SYSTEM ® and B-GON ® mist eliminator media, Kimre is able to determine removal efficiencies of chrome particulates, at both our own manufacturing plant and on-site for customers. Currently, we are in the process of using our pilot unit to capture highly carcinogenic chromate dust particle emissions to prove the removal efficiencies of our products. The chromate pilot unit testing is being performed at a customer site in a highly populated residential downtown area. It is Kimre’s objective to ensure the residents are not exposed to plant emissions and that local air quality standards are maintained. As air emission standards are extremely difficult to achieve economically, accurate testing will prove the ability of Kimre’s AEROSEP ® to achieve the lowest emission levels in such an important application. n
1970s
- 1973 Kimre was founded by George C Pedersen, a Florida native and MIT graduate.
- 1974 First commercial sale of a product.
- 1979 Kimre successfully retrofitted Borden Chemical Company phosphate operations at Piney Point, avoiding a plant shutdown due to excess emissions.
1980s
- 1983 Established LIQUI-NOMIX® Technology for oil/ water separation systems installed in a majority of OWS applications.
- 1985 Kimre is recognised as the first nitrobenzene retrofit for equipment.
- First major AEROSEP® Multistage Aerosol Separation System operating, GK Mannheim, Germany.
- 1989 Cooling tower installation at SASOL LTD, Secunda, South Africa: a 100 metre diameter Drift Eliminator installation.
1990s
- 1995 Kimre’s Europe office opens.
- Kimre technology identified as MACT by the EPA for chrome plating operations.
2000s
- 2008 Designed and supplied first full-scale scrubber for phosphate fertilizer plants.
2010s
- 2012 Fibre Bed Filters added to product line.
- 2014 Kimre designed and supplied four turnkey urea granulation plants in 2014.
- 2016 Opened Kimre China offices.
- Opened Kimre Philadelphia office.
- 2017 Kimre achieved the lowest dust and ammonia emissions of any urea granulation facility in the world.
- 2019 Kimre celebrates 45 years of operations.
