PQ

History

Year	Detail
1815	Joseph Crosfield and Sons started the manufacture of soaps and candles in Warrington, England.
1831	Joseph Elkinton’s Soap & Candle Manufactory, a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania U.S. founded by a Quaker entrepreneur.
1861	Elkinton’s began manufacturing sodium silicate or “waterglass”, which became a rosin replacement during the Civil War.
1864	Joseph Elkinton’s Soap & Candle Manufactory was renamed “The Philadelphia Quartz Company”.
1927	The Philadelphia Quartz Company manufactured its first Silica gel, which was Used to adsorb water and make it a useful desiccant or drying agent.
1931	The company has manufactured its first Sodium metasilicate.
1957	It has manufactured its first Precipitated silicas, a key component used in rubber production for car tires and plastics.
1960	Gasil MSG, a silica gel product established for use in paints and coatings.
1978	The company name was again renamed from "Philadelphia Quartz" to “PQ Corporation”.
1997	Crosfield’s specialty chemicals division, then part of Unilever, was acquired by ICI.
2001	Crossfield was acquired by INEOS and renamed INEOS Silicas.
2008	PQ merged with INEOS Silicas.
2021	PQ’s Performance Chemicals business is acquired by Koch M&T and Cerberus Capital, retaining the PQ Corporation name and brand.