Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LLC has expanded its Tessenderlo, Belgium plant by debottlenecking its production unit for Ethyl Mercaptan (EM) and Tetrahydrothiophene (THT).

Construction began in November 2016 and the expansion commenced operations in May 2017. This expansion increased production capacity for these products by 65%.

“Demand for EM and THT continues to grow around the world. This debottleneck builds on our already well-established production platform at Tessenderlo, allowing this Chevron Phillips Chemical site to continue to be a premier manufacturing location for organosulfur products, along with our Borger, Texas plant,” said Stephen Landry, manager for Chevron Phillips Chemical’s Specialty Chemicals Business.

“We are pleased to be able to offer this expanded capacity to our customers. This will enable us to ensure a long-term, dependable supply of EM and THT on a global scale,” said Benny Mermans, Europe Africa Region general manager, Chevron Phillips Chemicals International N.V.

Chevron Phillips Chemical’s Tessenderlo facility produces sulfur chemical intermediates, including mercaptans, sulfides and polysulfides. Tessenderlo products are used in a wide range of end-use applications such as polymer modifiers, agricultural chemicals, mining and ore processing, gas odorization, water purification, pharmaceuticals, lubricant additives and the reduction of coke formation.

Chevron Phillips Chemical LLC is one of the world’s top producers of olefins and polyolefins and a leading supplier of aromatics, alpha olefins, styrenics, specialty chemicals, plastic piping and polymer resins.