Albemarle welcomes efforts to reduce global mercury emissions

BATON ROUGE, La., Jan. 30, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Albemarle Corporation ALB, a global developer, manufacturer and marketer of highly engineered specialty chemicals, supports recent efforts to reduce global man-made mercury emissions, established by the new Minamata Convention on Mercury.   

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The Minamata Convention was opened for signature in October 2013 at a Diplomatic Conference in Kumamoto/Minamata, Japan, in response to the need to develop a global, legally binding instrument to regulate man-made mercury emissions.  The text of the new Minamata Convention requires facilities "to control, and where feasible, reduce" atmospheric mercury emissions from sources including coal-fired power plants, waste incinerators and cement clinker facilities.  To date, 94 countries have signed the Minamata Convention, including the United States, the majority of EU member states, the EU itself and China, with the United States being the first and only country that has ratified it.

According to the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), mercury emissions from coal combustion are one of the largest contributors to man-made atmospheric mercury emissions globally.  The new Convention is a significant step forward to tackle this worldwide challenge by applying appropriate technologies.  Albemarle will continue to monitor the further ratification and implementation of the Convention's regulations and provide stakeholders and customers with expertise and technical solutions for mercury emissions control. 

As an experienced global solutions provider, Albemarle is ready to assist our various stakeholders in ensuring compliance and thus reducing global atmospheric emissions of mercury.  Through our Mercury Control division, Albemarle offers a variety of efficient and cost-effective solutions to the coal-fired utility, cement kiln and industrial boiler markets, such as mercury sorbents, advanced injection systems, bromine chemicals, and mercury testing and demonstration services. 

Albemarle supports efforts to strengthen mercury emissions control and is committed to delivering efficient and cost-effective solutions based on sound science. 

About Albemarle
Albemarle Corporation, headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is a leading global developer, manufacturer, and marketer of highly-engineered specialty chemicals for consumer electronics, petroleum refining, utilities, packaging, construction, automotive/transportation, pharmaceuticals, crop protection, food-safety and custom chemistry services. The Company is committed to global sustainability and is advancing its eco-practices and solutions in its two global business units: Performance Chemicals and Catalyst Solutions. Corporate Responsibility Magazine selected Albemarle to its prestigious "100 Best Corporate Citizens" list for 2010, 2011 and 2013.  Albemarle employs approximately 3,900 people and serves customers in approximately 100 countries. Albemarle regularly posts information to www.albemarle.com, including notification of events, news, financial performance, investor presentations and webcasts, Regulation G reconciliations, SEC filings, and other information regarding the Company, its businesses and the markets we serve.

"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Statements in this press release regarding Albemarle Corporation's business that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" that involve risks and uncertainties. For a discussion of such risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K.

SOURCE Albemarle Corporation