BRABAG

The lignite - Benzin AG ( BRABAG ) was a duty Community Founded in 1934, the lignite industry in the National Socialist German Reich for coal hydrogenation in the context of self-sufficiency efforts.

History

In 1933 was between the I.G. Colors, and the German empire with the spring -Bosch Agreement concluded a so-called gasoline contract for the production of synthetic gasoline. On September 21, 1934 called Reich Economics Minister Hjalmar Schacht, the leading industrialists of the coal and oil industries for a meeting, in which he declared that the foreign exchange situation threatening the expansion of domestic fuel production 'm indispensable. Shortly after, he issued it after a voluntary agreement failed, the " Regulation on the establishment of compulsory communities in the brown coal industry" and called subject to further connections the following ten compulsory members:

  • I.G. colors,
  • Ilse Mining AG,
  • German Oil Co., the
  • Werschen - Weißenfelser lignite AG,
  • Brown coal and briquette - Industrie AG,
  • AG language works,
  • Electric Werke AG,
  • Rheinische AG for lignite mining and lignite briquette,
  • Central German steelworks and
  • Anhaltische coal mines.

Consequently, joined in October 1934 the said ten companies to BRABAG together. In November 1934 came under the threat of unlimited fines and imprisonment by personal Schacht, other member firms added. The companies involved had to take out several hundred million Reichsmarks loans to fund the required works. The profit rate was set at 5%.

The BRABAG had its headquarters at Schinkelplatz 1 in Berlin. Chairman of the Board was Wilhelm Keppler, CEO Friedrich Carl Arthur Kranefuß was. Board members were inter alia Heinrich Koppenberg, Alfred von Vollard - Bockelsberg and Helmut blessing.

From the I.G. Colors with their guidance work for synthetic gasoline, the Leuna works, as the licensor received the BRABAG the technology for coal hydrogenation after the Bergius - Pier process. But the Fischer- Tropsch process has been applied.

In the four locations of the BRABAG hydrocarbons were in the 1930s and 1940s by this method from the lignite first synthesis gas ( CO/H2) and liquid produced. These then were the production of gasoline. The sites were:

  • Bohlen (now Dow Chemical), the start of construction in 1934, Bergius - Pier process,
  • Magdeburg- Rothensee construction in 1935, Bergius - Pier process,
  • Black Heath (now BASF), start of construction in 1935, Fischer- Tropsch process,
  • Tröglitz at Zeitz (now Industrial Park Zeitz ), the start of construction in 1937, Bergius - Pier process.

The BRABAG had with the four works a combined capacity of 980,000 years tons as fuel manufacturer in the German Reich. It employed should include the 13,000 concentration camp prisoners in six camps, such as Schwalbe II at Königstein / Saxony Switzerland.

Pictures of BRABAG

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