Chemicals

About KEBO – A Century of Specialty Chemical Innovation

KEBO, the trade name for Keller & Bohacek GmbH & Co. KG, has been a cornerstone of the specialty chemicals industry since its founding in 1926. Originally established as "Rostschutz GmbH" with a focus on galvanizing plants and rust protection, the company quickly evolved into a globally recognized developer and producer of precision chemical solutions. Nearly a century of hands-on industry experience has shaped KEBO into what it is today: a trusted partner for companies that demand clean, efficient, and well-protected industrial processes.

Core Expertise: Cleaning, Water Treatment, and Corrosion Protection

At the heart of KEBO's product philosophy are three interconnected disciplines. The brand's industrial cleaning chemistries address the full spectrum of contamination challenges — from stubborn mineral deposits and rust scale to organic residues like oil, grease, and soot. KEBO formulates solutions for acidic, alkaline, and neutral cleaning environments, recognizing that no single agent works universally across all applications. The flagship LITHSOLVENT and KEBOCLEAN product lines exemplify this approach, offering highly concentrated, inhibited cleaners for tanks, pipelines, and process equipment across a wide range of industries.

KEBO's water treatment portfolio addresses the challenges of boiler systems, cooling water circuits, and industrial water conditioning. Scale inhibitors, hardness stabilizers, dispersants, and biocides work together to prevent deposits, reduce energy consumption, and extend the service life of critical equipment. The company's KEBOCID biocide line specifically targets the control of algae and microorganisms in open and closed water circuits, a common and costly problem in large-scale industrial operations.

Rounding out the core range is KEBO's deep expertise in corrosion protection — a discipline that has been central to the company's DNA since its earliest days. Pickling inhibitors, corrosion inhibitors, and coating additives protect metallic surfaces during and after chemical cleaning, ensuring that aggressive cleaning agents do not compromise the integrity of the equipment being treated.

Industries Served

KEBO's specialty chemicals serve an impressively broad industrial landscape. Key sectors include the sugar industry (both beet and cane), steel manufacturing, ethanol and starch production, food processing, and the broader chemical processing industry. This cross-industry reach is a reflection of the company's flexible, application-driven development philosophy — tailoring formulations to the unique materials, temperatures, and process conditions of each customer's operation.

The KEBO Approach: Science, Service, and Sustainability

What distinguishes KEBO from larger commodity chemical suppliers is its commitment to individualized consultation and laboratory-backed problem-solving. Before recommending a cleaning or treatment strategy, KEBO's technical team analyzes the specific composition of deposits and process conditions on-site or in their in-house laboratory. This approach — rooted in chemistry and guided by decades of field experience — helps customers reduce process costs, lower maintenance burdens, and extend equipment lifespans. In an era of growing environmental awareness, KEBO also develops solutions aimed at improving energy efficiency and reducing the overall CO² footprint of industrial operations.