Kuhlmann Zelzate

Pre-demolition documentation of the historical Kuhlmann site, near Ghent. Kuhlmann was a chemical plant, founded in 1912, which produced fertilizers and chemical products like sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid and ammonia. Kuhlmann ceased operations on this site in 2009. Part of the plant was taken over by Orrion Chemicals for acid regeneration, until bankruptcy in 2012.

Brocap subsequently acquired part of the heavily contaminated land, to initiate waste removal and make a plan for demolishing the remaining structures.

Meanwhile the consortium DEC (Dredging International, Envisan, and Contractors) acquired the rest of the heavily contaminated land, including a massive gypsum landfill deposit that dominated the landscape for many decades. This would become the Terranova project, with dredging and soil remediation done by Jan De Nul and DEME. In 2020 DEME acquired the Brocap land, and remediated this part as well.

DEME soon contacted me to organise an exhibition of my photography of the Kuhlmann site during the detonation of the chimney, the last reminder of the historical Kuhlmann site. My work was shown during the grand finale, when the 150m tall chimney (seen here on the photos) was demolished in front of the press and industry experts.