Kemira has announced plans to expand its manufacturing site in Tarragona (Spain) with a new activated carbon reactivation plant aimed at serving the drinking water market in Iberia, while also supporting wastewater treatment applications.
The planned facility would increase regional capacity to regenerate spent activated carbon, a key material used to remove taste, odour, and micropollutants from water. Reactivation allows granular or pelletized activated carbon to be reused, supporting more efficient and sustainable water treatment operations.
The project represents another step in Kemira’s long-term strategy to grow its water-related business. The pre-engineering phase is now starting, and the plant is expected to be operational by the end of 2029, subject to a final investment decision and completion of the environmental permitting process. The total investment is estimated at around EUR 20 million.
“Tightening regulation drives the demand for efficient PFAS and other micropollutants removal from drinking water and wastewater. Kemira supports its customers with new water treatment solutions, including reactivation services. Building this new capacity in Spain will strengthen our local water treatment offering, allowing us to capitalize on increasing demand in the region”, says Tuija Pohjolainen-Hiltunen, Executive Vice President, Water Solutions at Kemira.
Activated carbon is widely used in drinking water treatment, particularly for the removal of harmful substances such as PFAS, making local reactivation capacity increasingly important for utilities across the region.
