American Industrial Partners to acquire Veolia North America’s sulphuric acid regen business

American Industrial Partners (AIP) has announced it has acquired the Sulfuric Acid Regeneration Business of Veolia North America, which includes its sulphuric acid and potassium hydroxide regeneration, sulphur gas recovery and sulphur-based products production businesses.

The company has been renamed Nexpera, with the mission to bring next-level expertise for industrial chemistry to its customer base, AIP says.

A provider of mission-critical circular economy environmental services and products, the Sulfuric Acid Regeneration Business helps refineries cleanly process sulphur gas and regenerate spent sulphuric acid and potassium hydroxide, which are critical to the alkylation process. In addition, it manufactures sulphuric acid and sulphur derivatives for a broad range of industrial processes, including semiconductor production, gold and copper mining, and electric vehicle battery production.

The company also regenerates and converts sulphuric acid, sulfphur gas and elemental sulphur into merchant sulphuric acid and high-value sulphur derivatives for industrial end uses, including fertilisers, metals, personal care, water treatment and chemical processing. Headquartered in Newark, Delaware, the Sulfuric Acid Regeneration Business operates 13 facilities, including five on-site at refineries, and employs approximately 300 full-time employees across USA.

Stuart Thomas, CEO at the Sulfuric Acid Regeneration Business, said: “Over the last two decades there has been transformative advancement in the industry, providing a great opportunity for us to increasingly serve as the go-to provider of outsourced refinery regeneration services. The business is expected to continue to benefit from strong tailwinds and our partnership with AIP will enable us to further capitalise on those opportunities to take the business to new heights. We look forward to this next chapter and working closely with AIP to chart our future growth.”

Alex Schukin, Partner at AIP, added: “Nexpera’s business units align with strong market drivers related to clean fuel production, emission reduction and reshoring of industrial activities in the US. We look forward to partnering with the Nexpera team as they enable their customers to meet the world’s growing demand for clean-burning fuel components with sustainable, efficient and environmentally conscious regeneration services. As an industry leader, the company serves a vital role in our nation’s energy infrastructure while also addressing diverse, growing and high-value applications across the industrial economy.”

This deal marks AIP’s fourth acquisition this month, following its strategic investments in Austin Powder, a leading provider of industrial explosives and engineered blasting solutions, Aker BioMarine’s Feed Ingredients business, the “world’s only” industrial-scale krill harvester, and the Grain & Protein division of AGCO, a leading provider of grain storage, seed processing and protein production.