Ruhrchemie
German chemical company and industrial site in Oberhausen, now formally known as OQ Werk Ruhrchemie.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Ruhrchemie is a German chemical company and industrial complex based in the Holten district of Oberhausen, in the Ruhr region of North Rhine-Westphalia. Established by Ruhr mining companies at the end of the 1920s, it was originally created as Kohlechemie AG and was renamed Ruhrchemie AG in April 1928. Production began at the Holten site in 1929 with fertilizers, reflecting the region's historical links between coal mining, coking, chemical processing and industrial energy supply. The site became important in the development of coal-based and synthetic chemical production. In 1936, Ruhrchemie commissioned a plant for producing liquid hydrocarbons using the Fischer–Tropsch process. In 1938, chemist Otto Roelen developed the oxo synthesis at Ruhrchemie. This process became a major industrial route for making aldehydes and related oxo intermediates, which can in turn be used in polyols, carboxylic acids, esters, solvents and other chemical products. The innovation gave the company a lasting role in the history of industrial organic chemistry. The Second World War severely affected the business and its production assets. After 1945, Allied restrictions prohibited synthetic-fuel production, and the relevant facilities were dismantled after having suffered extensive wartime damage. Ruhrchemie subsequently shifted its emphasis away from coal-derived fuels and toward petrochemicals during the 1950s. Ownership also changed significantly. Farbwerke Hoechst acquired an initial 25 percent interest in 1958 and gradually increased its holding to roughly two thirds during the 1960s and 1970s. In 1984, Hoechst acquired the remaining shares and integrated Ruhrchemie as the Ruhrchemie plant. The product portfolio expanded beyond fertilizers and synthesis-gas-related activities. Production of high-density polyethylene began in 1960, followed by low-density polyethylene in 1972. Ruhrchemie also participated in coal-gasification research and development: a large-scale test facility was built jointly with Ruhrkohle AG in 1977, and the Ruhr synthetic-gas plant entered service in 1986. Fertilizer production was ultimately discontinued in 1990 as the site's strategic focus continued moving toward petrochemicals and specialty intermediates. Ruhrchemie's corporate setting changed again during the restructuring of the Hoechst group. In the late 1990s, selected chemical activities, including Ruhrchemie, were reorganized in preparation for the Hoechst–Rhône-Poulenc combination that created Aventis. Later, the site became part of Oxea GmbH, formed in 2007 through the combination of European Oxo and selected Celanese Chemicals activities. Oxea was sold to Oman Oil Company in 2013. Following the rebranding of Oxea as OQ Chemicals in May 2020, the facility became formally known as OQ Werk Ruhrchemie and serves as the German headquarters of the wider OQ company structure. The present site covers approximately 1.2 square kilometres and focuses on oxo intermediates and oxo derivatives. Its industrial role is therefore rooted in the oxo-synthesis expertise developed at the site, while its historical scope has included fertilizers, synthetic fuels, polyethylene, coal gasification and synthesis gas. The facility employs approximately 1,065 people, considerably fewer than the more than 3,000 workers associated with the site during parts of the 1940s and 1950s. Ruhrchemie's industrial heritage is also recognized through the Route of Industrial Heritage and a 2013 memorial plaque installed by the German Chemical Society in honor of Otto Roelen.
History
Ruhrchemie's origins lie in the industrial transformation of the Ruhr region during the late 1920s. Several Ruhr mining companies founded Kohlechemie AG in 1927 to develop chemical uses for coal and related industrial resources. The company adopted the name Ruhrchemie AG in April 1928, and its Holten site in Oberhausen began fertilizer production in 1929. The location had previously been considered for an airport, but the industrial expansion of the Ruhr ultimately determined its use. During the 1930s, Ruhrchemie expanded into synthetic hydrocarbon production. A Fischer–Tropsch plant entered operation in 1936, allowing liquid hydrocarbons to be made from synthesis gas. In 1938, Otto Roelen developed oxo synthesis at the company. The process, also called hydroformylation, enabled the production of aldehydes and became the foundation for a broad family of industrial derivatives, including polyols, carboxylic acids, esters and solvents. The war and its aftermath forced a major redirection. The site was damaged during the Second World War, and the Allied prohibition on synthetic-fuel production after 1945 led to the dismantling of the relevant facilities. Ruhrchemie consequently moved away from its earlier coal-to-fuels emphasis and toward petrochemical production in the early 1950s. Hoechst became increasingly influential in the company. Farbwerke Hoechst bought 25 percent of Ruhrchemie in 1958, increased its share to approximately two thirds in the following decades, and acquired the remaining shares in 1984. Ruhrchemie was then operated as a Hoechst plant. The site diversified its polymer activities, beginning high-density polyethylene production in 1960 and low-density polyethylene production in 1972. It also participated in coal-gasification work with Ruhrkohle AG, constructing a large-scale test plant in 1977 and commissioning the Ruhr synthetic-gas plant in 1986. Fertilizer production ended in 1990. Further corporate restructuring followed the reorganization of the Hoechst businesses in the late 1990s. Ruhrchemie later became part of Oxea GmbH, established in 2007 through the combination of European Oxo and selected Celanese Chemicals activities. Oman Oil Company acquired Oxea in 2013. When Oxea adopted the OQ Chemicals name in 2020, the facility's formal designation became OQ Werk Ruhrchemie. It now functions as a major OQ-related chemical site and the German headquarters of the OQ company structure, with a product focus on oxo intermediates and oxo derivatives. The approximately 1.2-square-kilometre site remains part of Oberhausen's industrial landscape. Its history is represented on the Route of Industrial Heritage, and the German Chemical Society commemorated Otto Roelen with a Historical Sites of Chemistry plaque installed in 2013.
- 2020
Renamed OQ Werk Ruhrchemie
[1]Following Oxea's rebranding as OQ Chemicals, the facility received the formal name OQ Werk Ruhrchemie.
- 2013
Oxea sold to Oman Oil Company
[1]Oman Oil Company acquired Oxea, placing the Ruhrchemie site within the subsequent OQ corporate lineage.
- 2007
Site becomes part of Oxea
[1]Ruhrchemie joined Oxea GmbH after the combination of European Oxo and selected Celanese Chemicals businesses.
- 1990
Fertilizer production discontinued
[1]The site ended its fertilizer-manufacturing activities.
- 1986
Ruhr synthetic-gas plant commissioned
[1]The Ruhr synthetic-gas plant entered operation.
- 1984
Hoechst acquires full ownership
[1]Hoechst acquired the remaining Ruhrchemie shares and incorporated the company as a Hoechst plant.
- 1977
Coal-gasification test plant built
[1]Ruhrchemie and Ruhrkohle AG constructed a large-scale coal-gasification test facility.
- 1972
LDPE production starts
[1]Low-density polyethylene production was added to the site.
- 1960
HDPE production starts
[1]The site began producing high-density polyethylene.
- 1958
Hoechst acquires an initial stake
[1]Farbwerke Hoechst acquired an initial 25 percent interest in Ruhrchemie.
Products and positioning
A historically significant Ruhr-region chemical producer whose modern site specializes in oxo intermediates and oxo derivatives under the OQ Chemicals organization.
Industrial chemicals
Oxo intermediates
Oxo intermediates are central to the modern Ruhrchemie site's product identity. They are produced through chemistry derived from the oxo-synthesis work developed at the facility and serve as building blocks for downstream chemical manufacturing.
Industrial chemicals
Oxo derivatives
The site produces oxo derivatives, including chemical families used in the manufacture of polyols, carboxylic acids, esters and solvents. These products extend the site's role from primary intermediates into a wider range of petrochemical applications.
Agricultural chemicals · 1929
Fertilizers
Fertilizers were the first major products manufactured at the Holten site after production began in 1929. This activity was historically important but was discontinued in 1990.
Polyolefins · 1960
High-density polyethylene
Ruhrchemie added high-density polyethylene production in 1960 as part of its expansion into petrochemicals and industrial polymers.
Polyolefins · 1972
Low-density polyethylene
Low-density polyethylene production began at the site in 1972, broadening its polymer portfolio during the Hoechst era.
Synthetic fuels · 1936
Synthetic fuels and liquid hydrocarbons
Ruhrchemie operated Fischer–Tropsch facilities for liquid-hydrocarbon production from 1936. Synthetic-fuel production was prohibited after the Second World War, and the relevant facilities were dismantled.
Brand decisions
2020
Adoption of the OQ Werk Ruhrchemie designationStrategyBackground
Oxea GmbH, which had included the Ruhrchemie site since 2007, was renamed OQ Chemicals in May 2020.
Action taken
The Oberhausen facility was formally designated OQ Werk Ruhrchemie.
Aftermath
Ruhrchemie continued operating as an OQ-related German chemical site focused on oxo intermediates and oxo derivatives.
1990
End of fertilizer productionStrategyBackground
Ruhrchemie's product portfolio had progressively shifted from its early fertilizer and coal-based activities toward petrochemicals and industrial intermediates.
Action taken
The company shut down fertilizer production at the site.
Aftermath
The site continued its transition toward petrochemical, polymer, synthesis-gas and oxo-chemical activities.
Sources1 sources
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