Having maintained a presence in Russia since the early 1990s, Kemira has an established relationship with the country’s largest paper and pulp manufacturers and is an important provider of drinking water and wastewater treatment solutions for both municipalities and local industries. In lieu of a recent international push towards more efficient wastewater cleanup in the Baltic region, Kemira has also emerged as a vocal advocate of local water protection initiatives.

Russian industries and municipalities have traditionally relied on aluminum sulfate for their drinking water treatment processes. Kemira, in turn, has been the largest supplier of this coagulant in the St. Petersburg region since 2003. Recently, Kemira has introduced ferric sulfate into the Russian wastewater treatment market; this inexpensive solution can be easily added into existing treatment processes and effectively lowers the water’s phosphorus levels to levels recommended by international organizations like Helcom (Helsinki Commission). Many Baltic countries, such as Estonia, are already using ferric sulfate in their busiest municipalities.

“On a political level it’s a great time to talk about wastewater treatment,” says Tuomo Keskinen, Director of Kemira’s Paper and Municipal & Industrial segments in Russia and the Baltics.

In late August, Kemira hosted a Baltic Sea Summit to discuss the worrisome state of the water basin and advocate a more efficient and coordinated cleanup process. Russia, for example, hasn’t yet implemented an official phosphorus cap for its treated wastewater, and each of the country’s treatment facilities has to be individually responsible for meeting international standards.

Accoding to Keskinen, the St. Petersburg Vodokanal water works has been exemplary and maintains a leading position in Russia’s water treatment efforts. They have listened to environmental experts and are routinely using the latest technologies, including Kemira’s.

“We are confident that with the help of our more integrated distributor network we are able to achieve new success stories in regions outside St. Peterburg, although change requires time in a country like Russia. New chemical solutions will also allow water treatment facilities to cut down on their energy use.”

Kemira’s involvement with Russia’s paper industry is equally comprehensive; the company currently supplies chemicals to the country’s largest pulp and paper manufacturers.

“Our business in the paper front has grown significantly during the past three years, and in many cases we are the leading supplier of a particular chemical,” Keskinen says. “Plans for a few new pulp mills are also underway in Russia, and we hope to be involved in this industry expansion from the very beginning.”

Text: Laura Palotie
Original article published in Kemira’s stakeholder magazine Waterlink 3/2009