(openPR) - The Slovenian company Količevo Karton has reduced its use of chemicals in paper production by about 20% thanks to CO2 from Messer. The company, which produces around 650 tons of cardboard a day, hired Messer in Slovenia to optimise its production processes. The six-month trial operation was a success: in addition to a marked reduction in environmentally damaging chemicals, the use of CO2 also led to an improvement in the quality of the paper. From January 2009, it is expected that Messer will supply 400 tons of CO2 a year to Količevo Karton. The company is part of the Mayr-Melnhof Group, Europe’s largest producer of recycled cardboard.

Messer is one of the leading industrial gas companies, and is active in over 30 countries in Europe and Asia, as well as Peru, with over 60 operating companies. Its international activities are managed from Frankfurt am Main, whilst management of core technical functions – logistics, engineering, production and applications engineering – is undertaken from Krefeld. In 2007, about 4,400 employees generated consolidated sales of €705 million.
From acetylene to xenon, the Messer Group has one of the most diverse product portfolios on the market – it produces industrial gases such as oxygen, nitrogen, argon, carbon dioxide, hydrogen, helium, shielding gases for welding, specialty gases, medical gases and many different gas mixtures.
The Messer Group has state-of-the-art research and competence centers in which it develops applied technologies for the use of gases in almost every sector of industry, in food technology and environmental technology, medicine as well as research and science.

Messer Group GmbH
Vice President
Corporate Communications
Diana Buss
Gahlingspfad 31
47803 Krefeld

Phone: +49 (0) 2151 7811-251
Fax: +49 (0) 2151 7811-598
Email: diana.buss@messergroup.com
www.messergroup.com