History & Milestones
Mr. Mohamed Takhim
The inventor of these major innovations in the chemistry of phosphates processing is Mr. Mohamed Takhim, who won a gold medal for his work at the Brussels International Inventors Fair in November 1994. A number of private European investors and venture capital firms joined the inventor in 1996 to set up EcoPhos, with the mission to develop and commercialize these new technologies.
The chemical engineering department of the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium hosted the company’s offices and laboratories several years and provides trial equipment and consulting expertise. A team of managers and chemists was engaged to carry out the experiments and analyses required for the optimization of the processes.
Several patents for the basic purification chemistry and rock attack have been granted or are pending in the major phosphates producing and consuming countries worldwide.
A partnership agreement was signed with Solvay sa in April 2001, under which Solvay became one of the shareholders in the company and agreed to build and operate an EcoPhos attack process pilot plant in Dombasle, France.
EcoPhos moved into new laboratories on the Solutia site at the Scientific Park in Louvain-la-Neuve in January 2002.
To implement new EcoPhos processes on industrial scale EcoPhos took in 2005 a 50 % equity in Decaphos, a Bulgarian based DCP/MCP production company.
EcoPhos milestones
- 2008 - Decaphos obtained ISO 9001 certification for manuafacture and sale of animal feed phosphates.
- 2007 - EcoPhos moved into New laboratory and Office facilities "Monnet Centre International Laboratory" in Louvain-la-Neuve.
- 2006 - The construction of a new DCP plant, based on EcoPhos technology, was started. A syrian based company UCCI aquired a licence from EcoPhos. The plant will be on stream in 2008.
- 2005 - EcoPhos takes a 50 % equity in Decaphos, a Bulgarian based DCP/MCP producer.
- 2004 - A second series of pilot plant trials in Dombasle succesfully completed on module 1/4 HCl attack
- 2002 - Successful completion of pilot plant trials of the model 1 HCl attack process at Solvay Dombasle in 2002.
Move into modern laboratories at the Parc Scientific-Fleming in Louvain-la-Neuve - 2001 - Collaboration agreement Solvay s.a. - shareholding/attack pilot plant
- 2000 - Technology promotion agreement Davy - STP/Purification
- 1999 - Start development of the attack processes and mineral enrichment
- 1998 - Lab developments of the purification processes
- 1997 - Lab and offices established at the UCL Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
- 1996 - Incorporation by founder & venture capitalists - Leuven, Belgium
- 1994 - Gold medal Brussels Inventors Fair for Mohamed Takhim
