Kemiron, Inc. started-up its first iron coagulants production facility in June, 1992 in Bartow, Florida. This facility was originally built to supply the City of Tampa with high- purity liquid ferric sulfate. This plant produces the highest concentration of liquid ferric sulfate in North America (12.7% ferric iron minimum). Prior to Tampa抯 switch to liquid ferric sulfate, Tampa was the largest single water plant user of alum in the United States. Tampa was also the first water plant in Florida to convert from alum to ferric sulfate.

    Instrumental in Kemiron抯 successful business growth in Florida was Kemiron抯 development of a means to recycle the by-product residuals formed from the treatment of highly colored raw surface water. Historically the alum residual had to be land filled at a high cost to the municipality. Kemiron developed a process for recycling the iron treatment residual, Iron Humate, into valuable plant micronutrients (USA Patent No.抯 5411569, 5213692, and 5354350). Through licensee, Kemiron now recycles Iron Humate from numerous Florida water treatment plants into such diverse applications as citrus, turf, vegetables and ornamentals throughout the United States.

    Although Kemiron did not officially initiate its iron salts business until June 1992, its founder and current CEO, Lawrence Hjersted, had ties into this field dating back to childhood. After completing most of the research in the late 1950s, this process was locked away and ignored until the mid 1980s when Norman Hjersted eventually applied for and received a patent (USA Patent No. 4,704,349) for this process in 1987. This patent was the basis for the first commercial production of liquid ferric sulfate in the United States. Later, as an inducement for Lawrence to start his own company, Norman deeded these patent rights over to Lawrence. In an effort to raise capital to start his company, Lawrence subsequently began meeting with Kemira抯 then Director of Water Treatment Chemicals, Juhani Tuomarla, in 1988, exploring different avenues for forming a joint venture in the US and even exploring licensing Kemira the liquid ferric sulfate production technology. Although none of these deals with Kemira were consummated, the would-be JV,揔emiron攅ventually became the name for Lawrence抯 new company. At the time, it had a double meaning of揅hemicals from Iron攁nd, of course, the association between Kemira and iron.

    In March of 1994, Kemiron formed a joint venture with Magnesium Corporation of America (Magcorp), called Kemmag, to produce iron chlorides at Magcorp抯 Rowley, Utah, magnesium production plant. By the terms of this agreement, Magcorp provides co-products chlorine and hydrochloric acid, and Kemiron provides iron chloride production technology and marketing know-how. At the time of the agreement, there was only one other large producer of ferric chloride in the western United States, Imperial West Chemical Co, which later became Kemwater North America, with ferric chloride plants in Mojave and Pittsburgh, California. In November 1996, Kemiron built a second iron chloride production plant in Fontana, California, on the site of California Steel Industries (CSI). Kemiron抯 Fontana plant is the only completely continuous ferric chloride production plant in North America. Spent ferrous chloride pickle liquor is piped directly from CSI into Kemiron抯 plant. The Fontana plant produces the highest ferric chloride concentration in the industry, typically 46% FeCl3.

    After quick market success in the western USA, based from the Fontana and Rowley ferric chloride production facilites,, Kemiron subsequently purchased Kemwater抯 iron chloride business in March 1999, including the Mojave, California ferric chloride plant and the Pittsburgh, California ferric chloride production equipment.

    On August 21, 2000, Kemiron Companies Inc. (KCI) was officially formed with the simultaneous acquisition of Pioneer抯 remaining Kemwater water treatment businesses and Midland Resources, Inc. Included in the Kemwater acquisition was the aluminum (PAX, alum and sodium aluminate) and iron coagulant (ferric sulfate) production facilities located in Savannah, Georgia, and the aluminum coagulant (PAX and alum) production facilities located in Spokane, Washington. Midland Resources produces iron chlorides and sulfates in St. Louis, Missouri. Also included with the Kemwater acquisition were the access rights to Kemira Oy抯 advanced water treatment technology for United States, Canada and the Caribbean. With the completion of these acquisitions, Kemiron is now the largest full-line producer and marketer of inorganic coagulants for water treatment applications in North America.