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Korund

A Russian chemical manufacturer in Dzerzhinsk producing industrial chemicals, agricultural and household chemical products, corundum, and synthetic gemstones.

Last updated August 26, 2026

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Overview

Korund is a chemical manufacturing company based in Dzerzhinsk, Russia, and associated with Petrochemical Holding GmbH. Its industrial history began on September 25, 1915, when the enterprise was established as a mineral-acid plant. By October 1916, it had mastered the production of sulfuric and nitric acids, materials used at the time in the manufacture of explosives. From 1920, the plant also produced superphosphate, establishing an early connection with fertilizer and agricultural chemistry. During the Second World War, Korund's predecessor expanded into strategically important chemical production. In 1941, it began making KS, an anti-tank self-igniting liquid, and built a cyanide-production workshop to supply cyaniding salts used in the manufacture of armor-grade steel. The wartime range also included potassium nitrate, a material used in black-powder production, and arsenic trichloride. The plant's wartime history therefore included both military chemicals and hazardous chemical intermediates. After the war, the assembly of poison-filled munitions was stopped and most related facilities were progressively dismantled. Phosgene nevertheless continued to be produced as a chemical feedstock. The enterprise later diversified into pharmaceuticals, specialty chemicals, and synthetic crystal production. In the 1950s, it synthesized PASK, described in the reference material as the first Soviet second-line anti-tuberculosis drug. It also developed technology for producing hexachloran and manufactured early artificial dark-red rubies, alexandrites, sapphires, amethysts, and topazes for jewelry applications. These activities illustrate the breadth of the plant's technical base, extending from bulk and intermediate chemicals to pharmaceutical substances and engineered mineral materials. Korund's stated product scope includes chemicals for military, industrial, agricultural, and household applications, as well as corundum and products made from it. The company is also associated with consumer goods, although the available reference material does not identify specific current consumer product brands or sales channels. Its industrial identity remains rooted in chemical processing and materials manufacturing rather than in a widely marketed consumer brand. The company's historical record also includes serious environmental and occupational-safety concerns. The reference material reports that basic safety standards were not consistently observed during and after the war, with chemical contamination affecting workshops and nearby areas. It further states that, by 1952, polluted wastewater discharged into the Oka River was estimated at approximately 1,700 cubic metres per hour. The supplied material does not provide a modern regulatory disposition, remediation record, or current environmental-performance data, so the present status of those historic impacts cannot be determined here. The reference material identifies Korund as an active Russian company and gives an average workforce of 67 employees. Igor Shamilevich Iksanov is identified as director, while Iksanov, Andrey Petrovich Zubov, and Vladimir Petrovich Zubov are listed as founders of the company. No current revenue, production volumes, market-share data, stock information, or official website URL is supplied. Korund is consequently best characterized as a small, historically significant Russian chemical and materials enterprise whose capabilities developed from mineral acids and fertilizers into military chemicals, pharmaceuticals, specialty chemicals, synthetic crystals, corundum, and consumer-oriented chemical products.

History

Korund's industrial history began on September 25, 1915, with the establishment of a mineral-acid plant in Dzerzhinsk. By October 1916, the plant had begun producing sulfuric and nitric acids, supporting the manufacture of explosives. In 1920, it added superphosphate production, creating an early agricultural-chemicals capability. The Second World War brought a major expansion into military and strategic chemical production. In 1941, the plant began manufacturing KS, an anti-tank self-igniting liquid. It also built a cyanide workshop to supply cyaniding salts used in armor-grade steel production. During the war, the facility additionally produced potassium nitrate, relevant to black-powder manufacture, and arsenic trichloride. After the war, the assembly of poison-filled munitions ended, and most associated production facilities were gradually dismantled. Phosgene, however, continued to be manufactured as a chemical raw material. In the 1950s, the plant broadened its technical portfolio. It synthesized PASK, identified in the supplied reference as the first Soviet second-line anti-tuberculosis drug, and developed production technology for hexachloran. The same period saw the manufacture of the first artificial dark-red rubies, alexandrites, sapphires, amethysts, and topazes for jewelry use. This diversification connected Korund's traditional chemical infrastructure with pharmaceutical chemistry and synthetic mineral production. The enterprise's historical activities also involved substantial environmental and safety problems. The supplied reference states that safety standards were not observed adequately during and after the war, resulting in continuing chemical contamination in workshops and adjacent areas. It reports that polluted wastewater discharged into the Oka River was estimated at 1,700 cubic metres per hour by 1952. The available material does not document subsequent cleanup, legal findings, or current environmental controls. In its later corporate form, Korund is described as an ООО, or Russian limited liability company, based in Dzerzhinsk and belonging to Petrochemical Holding GmbH. Its product scope encompasses chemicals for military, industrial, agricultural, and household uses, together with corundum, corundum-based articles, and consumer goods. The supplied reference identifies Igor Shamilevich Iksanov as director and lists Iksanov, Andrey Petrovich Zubov, and Vladimir Petrovich Zubov as founders. It also gives an average employee count of 67, but provides no date for that figure. Current production volumes, customers, revenues, export markets, and corporate website are not available in the source material.

  • 1950

    Diversification into pharmaceuticals and synthetic crystals

    [1]

    During the 1950s, the plant synthesized PASK, developed hexachloran production technology, and produced early artificial gemstones for jewelry applications.

  • 1941

    Wartime military-chemical expansion

    [1]

    Korund began producing KS anti-tank self-igniting liquid and established cyanide production for salts used in armor-steel manufacturing.

  • 1920

    Superphosphate production begins

    [1]

    The plant began producing superphosphate, extending its operations into agricultural chemicals and fertilizers.

  • 1916

    Sulfuric and nitric acid production mastered

    [1]

    By October 1916, the plant had developed production of sulfuric and nitric acids for use in explosive manufacture.

  • 1915

    Foundation as a mineral-acid plant

    [1]

    The enterprise was established on September 25, 1915, in Dzerzhinsk as a plant focused on mineral acids.

Products and positioning

A small Russian chemical and materials manufacturer with a century-long industrial heritage, positioned around chemical intermediates, specialty materials, corundum, synthetic crystals, and products for industrial, agricultural, military, household, and consumer applications.

  • Industrial chemicals · 1915

    Mineral acids

    Korund began as a mineral-acid plant and had mastered sulfuric and nitric acid production by 1916. These acids served as foundational industrial inputs, including materials used historically in explosive manufacture. The available source does not specify current grades, capacities, or commercial formulations.

  • Fertilizers and agricultural chemistry · 1920

    Agricultural chemicals

    The plant added superphosphate production in 1920, linking Korund to fertilizer manufacturing. Its broader stated scope includes agricultural chemical products, but the supplied material does not identify specific contemporary formulations, brands, or distribution channels.

  • Advanced materials

    Corundum and corundum articles

    Corundum and articles made from corundum are part of Korund's described product range. Corundum is an aluminum-oxide material used in abrasive and technical applications, although the source does not provide detailed specifications or identify particular current product lines.

  • Synthetic crystals and jewelry materials · 1950

    Synthetic gemstones

    During the 1950s, Korund produced artificial dark-red ruby, alexandrite, sapphire, amethyst, and topaz crystals for jewelry applications. The historical range demonstrates the plant's ability to apply chemical and materials-processing expertise to engineered mineral products; present availability is not documented.

  • Chemical products

    Industrial, household, and consumer chemicals

    Korund is described as producing a broad assortment of chemical products for industrial, agricultural, household, military, and consumer uses. The supplied reference does not list individual product names, packaging formats, brands, or current retail outlets.

Controversies

  • 1952

    Historic chemical contamination and wastewater discharge

    The historical account states that safety standards were inadequately observed during and after the war, with chemical contamination affecting workshops and nearby areas. It reports that polluted wastewater discharged into the Oka River was estimated at about 1,700 cubic metres per hour by 1952. The supplied sources do not establish later enforcement, remediation, or the present condition of the site.

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