MeadWestvaco Joins Albemarle

Yesterday, MeadWestvaco Corp. (MWV) executed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to form a strategic alliance with Albemarle Corporation (ALB) to supply activated carbon products in the U.S. This alliance will serve the emerging mercury removal market for the coal-fired power industry.

Unlike other U.S. activated carbon producers, which make their sorbents from coal or lignite, MeadWestvaco Specialty Chemicals manufactures its carbons from wood. The company produces high quality activated carbons for use in the some of the most challenging purification applications, such as the automotive industry. On the other hand, Albemarle is an established supplier of mercury control solutions and is the largest bromine producer in North America.

Under the terms of this alliance, the two companies will jointly develop brominated wood-based activated carbons for use in mercury control. The company said that through a joint development program, both the companies have developed economical methods to utilize this renewable feedstock for power plant mercury capture.

In a separate statement, MeadWestvaco Corp. announced the launch of Med-Easy®, the company’s latest innovation in medication packaging. Med-Easy is scheduled to launch this September in Europe.

The company said that the new product, which will be available for Rx and OTC applications globally, is convenient, discrete, and easy to use. This is targeted at the customers who need to carry their medication when they are on the move but would like to be discrete when they take their medication in public. The new product joins the company’s wide range of pharmaceutical packaging solutions.

We have an Outperform rating on MeadWestvaco.

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