Montecatini (company)

History

The company was founded as a small mining business in Montecatini Val di Cecina operating a copper pyrite mine in 1888. The production increased and a shift from copper ore production to pyrite production as a starting material for sulfuric acid production when Guido Donegani was made director in 1910.

Large amounts of sulfuric acid are used for the production of superphosphate fertilizers and therefore Montecatini expanded into this business. By 1920 the company had acquired the two largest phosphate fertilizer producers Unione Concimi and Colla e Concimi. The company became dominant in chemical industry of Italy during the time of Fascist Italy. Montecatini collaborated with RIAP of Bergamo and together developed an extrusion machine. Montecatini was also involved in the creation of Lake Reschen which submerged the village of Graun.

References

https://books.google.com/books?id=HrZJAAAAIAAJ& https://books.google.com/books?id=N9cD52R2nawC&pg=PA102 https://books.google.com/books?id=zTP1MFJw8CsC&pg=PA200 https://books.google.com/books?id=YGgxcQqq_fkC&pg=PA350 https://books.google.com/books?id=w5TSX6KkCb8C https://books.google.com/books?id=hX5yDvXblB4C&pg=PA245 https://books.google.com/books?id=7jC_Uoi3yh4C&pg=PA255 https://books.google.com/books?id=Qn-RAAAAIAAJ&q=Montecatini+Donegani https://books.google.com/books?id=0LyNAAAAIAAJ https://books.google.com/books?id=O4rzzkUQyzIC&pg=PA25 https://books.google.com/books?id=_XlEAAAAIAAJ&q=Mussolini+Donegani&dq=Mussolini+Donegani https://books.google.com/books?id=sB6aKhCsu0gC&pg=PA126 https://books.google.com/books?id=FNjxX7uZYQEC&pg=PA74 https://books.google.com/books?id=N9cD52R2nawC&pg=PA102

References

1. (2007). "The global chemical industry in the age of the petrochemical revolution".
2. (2001). "A history of the international chemical industry".
3. (1920). "Wirtschaftlicher Teil u. Vereinsnachrichten". Zeitschrift für Angewandte Chemie.
4. (1 January 2007). "Sulfur: History, technology, applications & industry".