Tel: +1 815 727 3651
Fax: +1 815 727 5312

Location Map

Introduction
INEOS Silicas Americas is a specialty chemical manufacturer and the headquarters are located in Warrington, England.

Site History
The Joliet site, originally a silicate production facility, was purchased in 1987 from Stauffer Chemical and has been expanded to include plants for the production of silica (including micronized gels and hydrogels), silicates (liquid and powder).

INEOS Silicas Americas employs approximately 150 employees and a large number of contractors from the neighboring communities. Our employees work in a wide variety of jobs as chemists, engineers, electricians, laboratory technicians, and office personnel.

Product Capabilities
Silicates are among the most widely applied performance chemicals that we produce. Household detergent manufacturers throughout the world rely on them. Large quantities are supplied to the civil engineering community for various applications like ceramics, tunneling and mining, soil consolidation and mineral fines agglomeration. The paper industry is a large consumer in pulp bleaching, newspaper de-inking and adhesive applications for tube and drum winding. In addition, silicates are used as a raw material for the production of other chemicals such as synthetic silicas, white pigments, catalysts and for water clarification.

Silica is widely used in everyday products. For example, brewers filter beer through hydrogel silica, which removes haze to produce a clear beer. In paints, micronized silica is used to flatten the paint to reduce gloss. Our silica products are used as pigments to enhance the performance of paper coatings for ink jet printers. In edible oils, the hydrogel silica removes impurities and additionally removes color. Other applications for silicas include cosmetic thickening agents, abrasive and thickeners in toothpastes. The Joliet silica plant is fully automated and has over 1,000 checkpoints built into the process to ensure the best quality available. Application laboratories onsite allow us to work together with our customers to develop improved products for their needs.