German specialty chemicals company says R400m investment means it no longer depends on outside supply of the gas LANXESS, a German specialty chemicals company, has commissioned a new carbon dioxide concentration unit at its Newcastle sodium dichromate plant in KwaZulu-Natal, strengthening its chain of value-added operations in South Africa.It says the R400m investment to build the unit, which was completed over 19 months, means it is no longer dependent on delivery of the gas by external suppliers. It will also reduce carbon-dioxide emissions from the plant by 25%.The sodium dichromate is mainly further processed into chrome tanning materials for the global leather industry. Production requires a continuous supply of highly concentrated carbon dioxide."This investment in South Africa is another element of our Brics (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) strategy," Rainier van Roessel, a member of the management board at Lanxess in Germany, said on Wednesday."The new unit allow...