Plant Fire a Problem for Potassium Permanganate

February 20, 2023

Potassium Permanganate, also called Permanganic Acid or “Pot Perm”, is a potassium salt with a dark purple color commonly used for water treatment. Despite it’s common usage, most “Pot Perm” used in the United States is supplied by just one producer, Carus. Carus is the only producer of Potassium and Sodium Permanganate in the Western Hemisphere. Only a small amount of domestic supply is imported from Eastern countries such as India and China.

Unfortunately for the Potassium Permanganate market, a recent fire at Carus has disrupted supply of this material. The fire broke out on the morning of January 11 in the plant’s shipping area. Fortunately, the fire was under control within 3 hours, and all employees were safe and accounted for. The plant was able to resume production and shipping of some products within a week. However, Force Majeure was declared on both Potassium and Sodium Permanganate the following week. The company website states that “We are declaring force majeure as we believe it will be impossible for Carus to fulfill all orders for potassium and sodium permanganate for approximately the next 90 days.”

At CORECHEM, we have been assessing the situation and securing additional inventory as needed. If you are interested in securing additional supply of this product, give us a call. For more information about the event, see the EPA news release.