LANXESS is celebrating 100 years of iron oxide pigment production at its Krefeld-Uerdingen site in Germany.

Since 1926, more than 15 million tons of iron oxide pigments have been produced at the site. According to LANXESS, that quantity could be used to produce more than 200 billion liters of paint, enough to cover an area the size of Germany five times over.

LANXESS said its iron oxide pigments are used to color paving stones, roof tiles, coatings and plastics. Examples cited by the company include the red asphalt in front of Buckingham Palace in London and the facade of the Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg.

“People encounter our pigments every day—on streets, roofs, and facades,” said Michael Ertl, head of the Inorganic Pigments business unit at LANXESS. “Thanks to the pioneering spirit of our employees in Krefeld, our pigments have become indispensable in many other applications as well.”

The company said additional applications include artificial turf for sports fields, airbags and brake pads in the automotive industry, and catalysts for chemical production processes. LANXESS is also pursuing the use of pigments in electromobility as a precursor material for batteries in electric cars.

Iron oxide production at Uerdingen began in 1926 with chemist Julius Laux, who developed a process in aniline production that allowed the resulting iron oxide to be further developed into a synthetic pigment. LANXESS said the product range has since expanded to more than 100 shades under the Bayferrox and Colortherm brands.

The company said its iron oxide pigments are characterized by a low carbon footprint, supported in part by the Laux process, which transforms a byproduct of aniline production into iron oxide pigments. LANXESS said it is also working to reduce emissions across production, energy use and logistics.

LANXESS reports annual production capacity of around 300,000 tons of iron oxide pigments.