“The project is spread over three years because the sulphuric acid production can be modernised only during planned production shutdowns,” explains Piotr Kearney, an authorised executive at Spolana, and adds: “The boiler for waste heat is an essential element of this investment in our production plant. It will be used to produce steam by cooling waste heat. This steam will be used in the follow-up production processes.”

When planning the transport route for the oversized cargo, the technicians had to consider the traffic capacity and obstacles on the road given the cargo and vehicle type, such as bridges, curves, roundabouts and the like. The transport set had to move along the precisely defined corridors and could not deviate from the route. The specific route through the town of Neratovice was verified preventatively after completing the routing on Spolana’s premises.

The actual project, with a planned investment of nearly CZK 1 billion, is implemented by Nuberg Industries Limited, a member of the Indian industrial and technology group Nuberg.

The work began in the second half of last year, and the project is set to be completed in the coming two years. Due to the modernisation project, operational shutdowns will be longer than usual in the coming period, and the new equipment will be subject to gradual changes and connected to the existing facilities.

Fluid sulphur is used to produce sulphuric acid. It is supplied in rail tanks that must be equipped with thermally insulating protection. The applicable statutory provisions must be observed when transporting, handling, and storing fluid sulphur.

Sulphuric acid is used in various applications, including mining and processing some ores and minerals, car battery production, and some surface treatment operations with etching. It is also used in industrial cleaning and, of course, as a laboratory chemical. In addition, concentrated sulphuric acid is used to produce caprolactam, which is used to make nylon and Perlon and in the textile and clothing industry. Due to its elasticity, it is perfect for manufacturing sports clothing and other sporting goods for water and winter sports, alpinism, and mountaineering.

SPOLANA s.r.o. is one of the largest chemical manufacturing companies in the Czech Republic. The only manufacturer of PVC and caprolactam also produces ammonium sulphate and sulphuric acid. It currently employs over 700 people. Spolana has been owned by the ORLEN Unipetrol Group since 2016. The ORLEN Unipetrol Group is the largest refining and petrochemical company in the Czech Republic. It focuses on crude oil processing and production, distributing and selling fuels and petrochemical products – mainly plastics and fertilisers. It is one of the major players in the Czech and Central European markets in all these areas. The ORLEN Unipetrol Group includes refineries and production plants in Litvínov and Kralupy nad Vltavou, Paramo in Pardubice, Spolana in Neratovice, and two research centres in Litvínov and Brno. ORLEN Unipetrol also includes the ORLEN network of filling stations in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. ORLEN Unipetrol is one of the largest companies in the Czech Republic in terms of turnover. It employs almost 6,000 people. In addition to its business development, ORLEN Unipetrol is proud to be a socially responsible corporation. Therefore, it pays equal attention to initiatives focusing on cultivating and supporting sustainable development, education, local communities, and the environment. In 2005, ORLEN Unipetrol became part of the PKN Orlen Group, the largest oil processor in Central Europe.