Arkema announces 30% DMDS capacity increase

22-Mar-07

In a bid to boost its ranking in the global market and meet demand from its customers, Arkema has announced a 30% increase in the production capacity of DMDS (dimethyl disulfide) at its Lacq plant. The DMDS business is part of Arkema’s Thiochemicals business and finds applications in a number of industrial sectors including petrochemicals and oil refining. The growth of the DMDS world market is linked to the development of petrochemicals and to the tightening of standards on the sulfur content of automotive fuel, petrol and diesel. In petrochemicals, DMDS is used to delay the appearance of coke deposits in the high temperature pipes of steam cracker furnaces, and to inhibit the formation of carbon monoxide which impairs the ethylene purification process. In refineries, DMDS is used as an energizer or catalyst activation agent in the hydrotreating plants required to eliminate sulfur, nitrogen and metals from petroleum fractions.