Arsol Aromatics

What Arsol Aromatics does

Arsol Aromatics GmbH & Co. KG is a privately held German specialty chemical manufacturer headquartered at Uferstraße 105 in Gelsenkirchen that produces high-purity aromatic chemical intermediates — benzene, toluene, xylene (BTX), and the proprietary Arsol® solvent — from crude benzene sourced as a by-product from coking plants. The company's origins trace to the 1898 Benzolverband founded by 13 coal mining companies, with the current operating entity dating to a 1954 distillation start-up and the 2002 consolidation of all aromatics activities under Aral Aromatics GmbH, which was renamed Arsol Aromatics in 2006 after the Aral brand rights expired and restructured into a GmbH & Co. KG in 2011. Ownership is concentrated among five active operators of coking plants and one coal tar processor; ArcelorMittal GmbH succeeded RAG Aktiengesellschaft as shareholder in 2011 following the sale of the Prosper coking plant.

Production relies on three core process technologies deployed at the single Gelsenkirchen site: extractive distillation for separating benzene from heavier aromatics (current plant built 1983), pressure raffination via a hydrogenation unit commissioned in 1997 that removes sulfur- and nitrogen-bearing by-products from crude benzene, and homologous separation using dedicated distillation columns to split BTX fractions (a toluene extractive distillation was added in 2004 to produce highest-purity toluene). All processing is conducted in fully enclosed systems, and product quality is verified in-house through a Deutsche Akkreditierungsstelle-accredited laboratory operating under DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025:2018, using gas chromatography and related analytical methods. The facility is certified to ISO 9001:2015, 14001:2015, and 50001:2018 by TÜV NORD CERT and is subject to the upper-class obligations of the German Störfallverordnung, with the latest on-site inspection by Bezirksregierung Münster completed successfully on 26 November 2024.

Arsol operates a B2B industrial distribution model with no public pricing. Raw materials are delivered by shareholders and other coking plant operators into the BP Europa SE tank farm on the Gelsenkirchen site via dedicated supply pipelines (north warehouse approx. 1,200 m, south warehouse approx. 400 m), and finished and intermediate products are dispatched through TransTank GmbH at the Gelsenkirchen Stadthafen via rail tank cars, road tank trucks, and ship/barge on the Rhine-Herne Canal. Downstream customers span the broader chemical industry, where Arsol's BTX and Arsol® grades feed the production of styrene, cumene, cyclohexane, polyurethanes, polyesters (including PET), and orthoxylene-based plastics used in pharmaceuticals, automotive, telecommunications, fashion, sports equipment, insulation, paints, solvents, detergents, dyes, and cosmetics. The company has 51-100 employees, no disclosed revenue, no public listing, and no app or digital channel presence; it has not raised venture or growth capital.

Name

Arsol Aromatics

Legal name

Arsol Aromatics GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://arsol-aromatics.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Arsol Aromatics GmbH & Co. KG is a Gelsenkirchen-based specialty chemical manufacturer producing high-purity benzene, toluene, xylene, and the proprietary Arsol® solvent from coal-derived crude benzene for downstream chemical industry customers, operated as a private partnership owned by coking plant operators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Gelsenkirchen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels1 record

Core offering

Arsol Aromatics GmbH & Co. KG manufactures high-purity aromatic chemical intermediates from crude benzene sourced from coking plant operations. The portfolio comprises Benzene, Toluene, Xylene, and the proprietary solvent Arsol®, produced via hydrogenation (pressure raffination), extractive distillation, and homologous separation at its Gelsenkirchen facility. Outputs serve as raw materials for downstream chemical manufacturing of consumer and industrial goods.

Product overview

Arsol Aromatics GmbH & Co. KG is a chemical manufacturing company that produces aromatic chemical intermediates from crude benzene (a byproduct of coking plants). The product portfolio consists of four main chemical products: Benzene, Toluene, Xylene, and Arsol® (a proprietary solvent brand). These aromatic chemicals serve as raw materials for numerous downstream industries including pharmaceuticals, transportation, telecommunications, fashion, and sports. The company operates a production facility in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, where crude benzene is purified through hydrogenation and distillation processes to produce high-purity chemical intermediates.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Arsol®: A registered trademark of Arsol Aromatics GmbH & Co. KG. A colourless liquid produced from crude oil or hard coal, used to make colours, lacquers and resins.

Products and services

• Benzene A colorless liquid occurring naturally in fossil raw materials such as crude oil and hard coal. Produced as a high-purity aromatic chemical intermediate at Arsol's Gelsenkirchen facility and sold to chemical manufacturers as a basic raw material for styrene (polystyrene, ABS), cumene (phenol, bisphenol A, polycarbonates), and cyclohexane (nylon).
• Toluene A colorless liquid derived from crude oil or coal tar. Produced in highest purity via extractive distillation at Arsol's Gelsenkirchen plant and sold to chemical manufacturers for polyurethanes used in furniture foam, mattresses, car seats, building insulation, floor coatings, refrigerators, artificial sports tracks, jogging shoes, and roller blade wheels.
• Xylene A colorless liquid from crude oil or coal tar, separated via homologous separation at Arsol's facility. Paraxylene is supplied to chemical manufacturers for polyesters including PET bottles, clothing fibers, and polyester fills; Orthoxylene is supplied for pipes, coatings, and medical-application cables.
• Arsol® A registered trademark of Arsol Aromatics GmbH & Co. KG. A colorless liquid produced from crude oil or hard coal, used by chemical manufacturers to make colours, lacquers, and resins. The name is a composition of ARomatics and SOLvent.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• TransTank GmbHcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTransTank GmbH handles logistics operations including rail and ship deliveries as well as storage and loading of intermediate and finished products at the Gelsenkirchen Stadthafen.
• BP Europa SEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBP Europa SE operates tank storage facility at Gelsenkirchen from which Arsol Aromatics sources raw materials via daily deliveries from shareholders and other suppliers. Production tanks located on BP tank farm.
• Together for Sustainability (TfS) InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal chemical industry initiative launched in 2011 to assess, audit, and improve global supply chains. Arsol participated in TfS audit in August 2019 achieving excellent results. Initiative has 22 member companies worldwide.
• Coking Plant Operators (Shareholders)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArsol Aromatics processes crude benzene, a by-product from coking plants of its shareholders and other coking plant operators worldwide. Shareholders include 5 active operators of coking plants and one coal tar processing plant.
• TÜV NORD CERT GmbH & Co. KGminorOthersConducts annual audits for certification of quality management system (ISO 9001:2015), environmental management system (ISO 14001:2015), and energy management system (ISO 50001:2018).

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Eastman Chemical: US-based specialty chemicals company with a significant aromatics and solvents portfolio, including specialty solvents analogous to Arsol's Arsol® product. Comparable as a supplier of high-purity aromatic intermediates and specialty solvents into coatings, resins, and plastics end-markets.
• ExxonMobil Chemical: Major global producer of BTX aromatics from petroleum feedstocks at large-scale steam crackers worldwide. Comparable to Arsol as a supplier of high-purity aromatic chemicals into the same downstream pharma, plastics, and coatings markets, though with a fundamentally different feedstock and scale profile.
• SABIC: Saudi-headquartered global petrochemicals leader producing BTX aromatics at Geleen (Netherlands) and other European/Middle Eastern sites. Direct competitor in European aromatics supply, particularly to engineering plastics, polyurethanes, and polyester chains that Arsol also serves.
• Covestro: German-headquartered polymer materials producer that consumes large volumes of benzene (via cumene/phenol) and toluene (via TDI/polyurethanes) — the same downstream chains Arsol supplies. Comparable as a downstream European customer/competitor interface in the aromatics value chain.
• INEOS: One of Europe's largest petrochemical groups producing aromatics including benzene, toluene, and xylenes at its refineries and chemical plants (e.g., Cologne, Marl). Direct competitor in the European BTX market serving similar downstream chemical customers, though at much larger scale.
• BP Petrochemicals: Operates aromatics production at integrated refineries and chemicals sites across Europe. Notably also a strategic partner to Arsol via BP Europa SE's Gelsenkirchen tank farm, making BP both a feedstock supplier and a competitor in downstream aromatic product markets.
• Shell Chemicals: Integrated energy and petrochemicals major producing benzene, toluene, and xylenes at its European refineries and chemical plants (e.g., Rotterdam, Moerdijk). Direct competitor in the European BTX merchant market with comparable downstream end-uses.
• LyondellBasell: Global polyolefins and petrochemicals producer with significant aromatics output integrated into its European and US cracker complexes. Comparable to Arsol as a merchant BTX supplier to the European chemical industry, though at much larger scale and via petroleum routes.
• BASF: World's largest chemical company and a leading European producer of BTX aromatics via its integrated petrochemical complexes at Ludwigshafen and Antwerp. Comparable to Arsol as a direct competitor in benzene, toluene, and xylene supply, though operating at vastly greater scale and with petroleum-based rather than coal-tar feedstocks.
• TotalEnergies Petrochemicals: Integrated oil major with European aromatics output from refineries and steam crackers (e.g., Antwerp). Direct competitor to Arsol in supplying benzene, toluene, and xylene to European chemical converters.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/arsolaromatics

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Arsol Aromatics