PQ Corporation - St. Louis, MO
Large load · 4238 GERALDINE, St. Louis, MO
PQ Corporation's St. Louis plant at 4238 Geraldine Avenue sits on 6.2 acres and was first built in 1926 to serve PQ customers in the Midwest. According to a September 2023 EPA Clean Air Act inspection report, the site makes sodium silicate (water glass) and silica gel, and it is a major source of air pollution for particulate matter and nitrogen oxides. Facility representatives said the plant ran 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with 34 employees on site and four corporate staff who visited regularly. Its environmental permits include a Title V permit, a water discharge permit and a nuclear gauge permit.
Overview
The Gel Plant was added in 1993 to serve Anheuser-Busch and other customers. EPA's September 2023 inspection report says 97.5% of the silica gel made at the facility was used by Anheuser-Busch for filtering beer, and that the Gel Plant produced six different products, including D300, a base set gel that sets in a fraction of a second. Clayco, a construction firm, says it provided construction services for a $5 million grassroots processing plant and equipment installation for new D-300 Gel production in St. Louis, Missouri.
Profile
- Permits and air-quality status
- Missouri Department of Natural Resources records list Part 70 operating permit OP2012-044 for PQ Corporation-St. Louis at site 510-0809, issued October 23, 2012 under application 2009-09-030. The same site also has a de minimis construction permit, 062020-006, filed under application 2020-01-050. EPA's 2023 inspection report says the installation is a major source for particulate matter and nitrogen oxides, and it cites the facility's 2018 operating permit as describing sodium silicate and silica gel production. The facility's environmental permits also include a Title V permit, a water discharge permit and a nuclear gauge permit.
- Products and markets
- PQ's 2025 Sustainability Report lists sodium silicate and silica gels among the supporting products for its markets. The report says sodium silicate acts as a durable inorganic binder in masonry coatings and that silicates help remove heavy metals in water treatment, while silicas act as abrasives in cleaning products and as free-flow aids in food and beverage applications. The same report says over half of PQ's facilities completed 2024 with 100% Perfect Days and no injuries, which the company tracks as part of its safety goals.
Facility
- Activity
- Sodium silicate and silica gel
- Industry
- Manufacturing
- Site type
- Facility
- Operating status
- Operating
Related records
Timeline
- Jan 1, 1926
- Facility built to serve PQ customers in the Midwest
www.epa.gov
- Jan 1, 1993
- Gel Plant added to serve Anheuser-Busch and other customers
www.epa.gov
- Oct 23, 2012
- Missouri DNR issues Part 70 operating permit OP2012-044
P Q Corporation-St. Louis, OP2012-044 | Missouri Department of Natural Resources
- Sep 27, 2023
- EPA Clean Air Act inspection of the St. Louis facility
www.epa.gov