As a gateway to the world, the Antwerp site in Belgium has played a major role in Evonik's global methionine business for 50 years. Together with the Wesseling site in Germany, Antwerp now forms the European pillar of Evonik’s global production network for MetAMINO® (DL-methionine), an essential amino acid used for animal feed. The specialty chemicals company used the anniversary as an opportunity to celebrate and appeal to EU policymakers.
“The global success story of MetAMINO® began in Antwerp. Key production standards were developed here which are the basis for our global asset hubs. Today, methionine is essential in modern animal husbandry, supporting sustainable animal protein production—whether it's poultry, eggs, or milk—helping to feed the global population,” said Thomas Wessel, chief human resources officer and labor director of Evonik.
To ensure a successful future for European production sites like Antwerp, Evonik's management is engaged with industrial policymakers. “Industry is the basis of our prosperity in Europe. If European production sites are to survive in the face of global competition, policymakers must ensure competitive framework conditions,” said Johann-Caspar Gammelin, president of Evonik’s Nutrition & Care division. This is why Evonik, in February, signed the Antwerp Declaration for a European Industrial Deal with more than 70 other industry leaders.
Evonik serves growing global feed markets from three world-scale production hubs in three different parts of the world: Antwerp, Mobile in Alabama, USA, and Singapore. The annual global production capacity for MetAMINO® has reached more than 700,000 metric tons.
“Only Evonik has a global production network for methionine for animal feeds, ensuring the greatest possible supply security – even in uncertain times like today,” said Gaetano Blanda, head of Evonik’s Animal Nutrition business line.
Evonik continuously invests in its methionine production network to grow with its customers and reduce the ecological footprint of manufacturing – in Antwerp and globally. Just recently, Evonik completed the expansion of its DL-methionine production in Singapore, and the backward integration of its methionine production at the Mobile plant is underway. Both measures also reduce the product-specific CO2 footprint of MetAMINO®, which is currently around 35% below the industry average.
“As a multi-functional site embedded in the second largest chemical cluster worldwide, Evonik Antwerp offers manifold opportunities for ecologically efficient operations,” said Ivan Pelgrims, general manager of Evonik Antwerpen NV. One example is the use of a byproduct of methionine to create value for another Evonik product, which helps save resources. The site also invests in sourcing green energy and in reducing freshwater use.
Antwerp, with its seaport, is the most important chemical site in Europe. Evonik predecessor Degussa started operations there in the late 1960s and, in 1974, the first production plant for MetAMINO® went into operation. In 2006, another methionine plant with an annual capacity of 120,000 metric tons followed. Today, Evonik Antwerp is one of Evonik's largest multi-functional sites, with ten production plants for four divisions: Smart Materials, Nutrition & Care, Specialty Additives, and Technology & Infrastructure.
