Cornerstone Chemical

Acid Plant Database March 19, 2025

Owner	Ecovyst Inc.
Location	10800 River Road Westwego, Louisiana USA 70094
Background	Formerly American Cyanamid Company Cytec Industries Inc. Cornerstone Chemical Company 1991 - American Cyanamid consolidates its chemical business into a separate division called Cytec Industries based on West Patterson, New Jersey. 1993 - Cytec sold to its shareholders 2011 - Affiliate of H.I.G. Capital purchases the Building Block Chemicals division of Cytec Industries and renames the company Cornerstone Chemical Company 2025 - Cornerstone Chemical acquired by Ecovyst
Website	www.cornerstonechemco.com
Plant	Fortier Manufacturing Complex
Coordinates*	29º 57' 44" N, 90º 16' 21" W
Type of Plant	Acid Regeneration
Gas Source	Spent MMA Acid
Plant Capacity	960 MTPD
SA/DA	DA
Emissions	-
Status	Operating
Year Built	1978
Technology	MECS
Contractor	-
Remarks	1993 - Plant converted from a sulphur burning to waste acid regeneration plant to support their MMA plant.
Permits	Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality
	Permit No.	Issue Date	Expiry Date	Details
	PSD-LA-2	May 25, 1976	-	-
	PSD-LA-575 (M-1)	December 5, 1994	-	-
	594-V0	April 28, 2005	-	-
	594-V1	March 27, 2007	-	-
	PSD - Prevention of Significant Deterioration
Pictures
General	The Fortier Complex is an 800-acre, continuous process facility located just outside of New Orleans on the mighty Mississippi River. The site employs more than 420 persons in maintenance, administration, and six operating units, and has a proven, 50-year tradition of manufacturing excellence. Fortier manufactures high quality products shipped around the globe, including acrylonitrile, melamine, and sulfuric acid/oleum. These products are used in a variety of everyday applications, including recreation (CD players, fishing rods), automobiles (tires, headlight lenses, batteries), homes (dishware, countertops, plastic piping), clothing (acrylic fibers), and flame retardants.
References	-
News	March 18, 2025 - Ecovyst Inc., a leading integrated and innovative global provider of advanced materials, specialty catalysts, virgin sulfuric acid and sulfuric acid regeneration services, announced today that it has reached an agreement to acquire the sulfuric acid production assets of Cornerstone Chemical Company located in Waggaman, Louisiana. The acquisition is expected to expand Ecoservices' capacity to serve regeneration and virgin sulfuric acid customers and provide for enhanced flexibility within the Company's existing plant network in the Gulf Coast. Ecovyst plans to fund the acquisition with cash on hand, and the transaction is targeted to close in the second quarter of 2025, subject to customary closing conditions. "The acquisition of Cornerstone's sulfuric acid assets represents a unique opportunity for Ecoservices to strengthen its network of facilities and expand its ability to support the future growth needs of our customers, on a cost-efficient basis," said George L. Vann, President of Ecoservices. "We look forward to serving the Waggaman plant's existing customers and strategically incorporate the acquired assets to support the future growth needs of Ecoservices' customers." "Given its proximity to our existing Baton Rouge site and alignment with our broader Gulf Coast operations, the acquisition of Cornerstone's sulfuric acid assets not only complements Ecoservices' current footprint but is also expected to bolster the resilience of its overall plant network. We are acquiring the assets at a cost below replacement value, aligning with our plan for executing on our high-return organic growth initiatives and targeting strategic bolt-on investments in Ecoservices. Additionally, the assets are being acquired at a transaction multiple basis that is favorable compared to Ecovyst's current trading multiple, considering the expected pro forma EBITDA post-integration," said Kurt J. Bitting, Ecovyst's Chief Executive Officer. "We believe this acquisition is well-aligned with the Company's strategy of prioritizing and pursuing actions that will maximize Ecoservices' value creation potential for shareholders." April 11, 2019 - A broken flange on a pipe is believed to be the cause of a spill of 3,600 gallons of sulfuric acid that occurred at the Cornerstone Chemical Co. facility at Waggaman on April 11, according to a state environmental official. The spill was reported by Cornerstone to both the Coast Guard National Response Center and state officials just after midnight April 12, Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality spokesman Gregory Langley said Friday (April 19). As of Monday, no report on the spill or its cleanup had been filed in DEQ’s Electronic Document Management System, an online repository for official records that have been created or received by the agency. Cornerstone officials did not respond Monday to a request for information about the spill. A summary of the company’s report to the National Response Center was posted on the web site of Skytruth, an environmental group that tracks chemical and oil accidents reported to the Coast Guard. On April 3, the Jefferson Parish Council rescinded a permit it had issued 15 months earlier to allow Cornerstone Chemical to build a new, $100 million hydrogen cyanide plant on their property, after nearby residents on both sides of the Mississippi River protested the expansion plans. Langley on Friday said information provided by DEQ staff to him when the accident occurred indicated the acid was released to the air, soil and to a concrete-lined drainage ditch, and that the company hired Clean Harbors, an environmental contractor, to remove or neutralize the acid at the site. “No air monitoring was conducted,” Langley said he was told. “There were no shelter in place, evacuations or road closures during this release.” Langley said agency staffers told him the incident was no longer considered in emergency phase, at the time they provided him with the information. “Repairs are currently being made (to the) drainage ditch covering an estimated 500-600 feet,” that initial report said. Soda ash was being used to neutralize the acid, and a vacuum truck was used to recover liquids from the ditch. Movement of the material was limited to only a portion of the ditch by gate valves, he said. “After drainage ditch is pumped out, the gate valves will be opened and the ditch will be flushed with clean water until the pH (the indicator of whether liquids are acid or base) is neutral,” Langley said he was told. “Water sent through the drainage ditch is treated in the onsite water treatment plant.” Areas where soil was contaminated were to be excavated. February 28, 2011 - H.I.G. Capital, LLC, a leading global private investment firm, announced today that an affiliate has completed the previously announced purchase of the Building Block Chemicals (“BBC”) division of Cytec Industries Inc (NYSE: CYT). Based outside of New Orleans, BBC is a leading manufacturer of melamine, acrylonitrile and sulfuric acid, which are key intermediate chemicals critical for the manufacturing of a broad array of products used in water treatment, oil recovery, agriculture, plastics, furniture, flooring and performance coatings. The business will be rebranded and operate under the name, “Cornerstone Chemical Company.” January 31, 2011 - Cytec Industries has reached an agreement to sell its building block chemicals business to an affiliate of H.I.G. Capital for $180 million. The purchase is the third chemical acquisition in recent years for the Miami-based private equity firm. The main asset of the building block chemicals business is a plant in Fortier, La., that manufactures melamine, acrylonitrile, and sulfuric acid. The business had sales last year of $600 million. Cytec says it decided in the fourth quarter of last year to divest the business. CEO Shane Fleming says the sale will allow Cytec to "put more attention and resources on our core growth platforms of engineered materials, in-process separations, and waterborne and radcure [radiation cured] coating resins." The sale will come at a cost to Cytec. Although the building block chemicals business mainly serves the merchant market, it does supply Cytec with melamine to make melamine resins and acrylonitrile to make carbon fiber. Cytec expects having to buy these chemicals at their current high prices will reduce its earnings this year by about 15 cents per share. Laurence Alexander, a stock analyst at Jefferies & Co. noted in a report to clients that building block chemicals has historically been one of Cytec's most volatile businesses. Although sales last year were $600 million, they averaged $336 million over the past 10 years. And earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization were about $59 million last year, compared to $37 million over the past 10 years, Alexander said. For its part, H.I.G. is developing a small stable of chemical businesses. In 2008, it purchased two Illinois-based firms: a Croda oleochemicals business and the surfactants maker Petroferm. Last year, the oleochemical business, renamed Vantage Specialty Chemicals, invested in Lipo Chemicals, a supplier of ingredients to the personal care industry.

MTPD - Metric Tonne per Day STPD - Short Ton per Day
MTPA - Metric Tonne per Annum STPA - Short Ton per Annum
SA - Single Absorption
DA - Double Absorption

* Coordinates can be used to locate plant on Google Earth


Sulphuric Acid on the Web^TM	Technical Manual	DKL Engineering, Inc.