The first Solvay factory at Couillet (Belgium) photographed in 1877

It started with alkalis...

The story of the Solvay Group began on 15 April 1861, when Ernest Solvay (1838-1922) patented the industrial production of sodium carbonate - also known as soda ash - using common salt, ammonia, carbon dioxide (CO2) and lime. The first Solvay soda factory was opened in Couillet, Belgium in 1865. It used salt from rock salt mines; the lime and CO2 were produced by the calcination of limestone in limekilns. The ammonia was recovered from the production process for re-use.

Within barely 20 years, Solvay had soda ash plants all over Europe, located close to sources of salt and limestone in order to meet the strong demand prompted by rapid industrialization. The company soon became the world's leading producer of sodium carbonate. Derivatives were quick to follow, in the form of sodium bicarbonate and caustic soda produced by causticizing sodium carbonate.

Solvay expanded rapidly: Syracuse (USA) in 1884