Producer
Arkema S.A.
Arkema S.A. (Colombes, France; Euronext: AKE; ~€11B revenue 2023; specialty chemicals and advanced materials) is the world's largest producer of tert-butyl mercaptan (TBM), the primary natural gas odorant compound used across North America and much of Europe. Arkema's Lacq, France facility — located in the historic Lacq natural gas field in the French Pyrenees — is the dominant global TBM production site. Arkema also produces ethyl mercaptan (EM) and other thiol compounds. TBM production at Lacq leverages proximity to historic sulfur byproducts from the local natural gas field; Lacq was France's primary natural gas production region from the 1950s through the 1990s. Arkema also supplies mercaptans for industrial chemical synthesis (pharmaceuticals, rubber additives, lubricant additives) through its Thiochemicals business line. Arkema's broader portfolio includes high-performance polymers (PEBA, PVDF), adhesives (Bostik), and coating solutions (Coatex).
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2 facilities
Arkema Lacq Thiochemicals Complex →
FRNouvelle-Aquitaine · manufacturing
Arkema's Lacq facility in the French Pyrenees (commune of Lacq, Pyrénées-Atlantiques) is the world's primary production site for tert-butyl mercaptan (TBM), the dominant North American natural gas odorant. Lacq is a historic natural gas production site — France's largest natural gas field produced there from the 1950s–1990s. The sulfur-rich character of Lacq natural gas created the industrial sulfur chemistry infrastructure that Arkema now uses for mercaptan synthesis. TBM is produced by addition of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) to isobutylene in the presence of a catalyst. Lacq is estimated to supply the majority of North American TBM and a large share of European TBM. A single-site disruption (fire, explosion, earthquake, or extended maintenance) would constrain global TBM supply within weeks. Source: https://www.arkema.com/global/en/products/thiochemicals/
Arkema Mont Specialty Chemicals Site →
FRNouvelle-Aquitaine · manufacturing
Arkema's Mont site (near Lacq, Pyrénées-Atlantiques) is part of the broader Lacq industrial complex and produces additional thiochemical products including dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) and other sulfur compounds. The Mont and Lacq sites together form the core of Arkema's French Pyrenees thiochemical cluster. Source: https://www.arkema.com/global/en/products/thiochemicals/
What else they do
Business segments
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Thiochemicals (Mercaptans & Thiols)
15%Advanced Materials (High-Performance Polymers)
35%Adhesive Solutions (Bostik)
25%Coating & Acrylic Solutions
25%
Intelligence
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Did you know2023
Arkema's Lacq thiochemicals facility produces TBM for natural gas odorant (the safety system detecting leaks in the pipeline and LDC supply chains) AND thiol intermediates for pharmaceutical synthesis (thiols are the functional groups in penicillin chemistry, captopril heart medication synthesis, and dozens of other drug manufacturing processes) AND methyl mercaptan used as an intermediate for methionine (the essential amino acid added to chicken and pig feed globally). The natural gas safety infrastructure supply chain, the pharmaceutical manufacturing supply chain, and the livestock feed amino acid supply chain all depend on Arkema's French Pyrenees production. Methionine — the #1 amino acid by production volume for animal nutrition — is synthesized via an intermediate that starts with methyl mercaptan from Lacq. Without Arkema's methyl mercaptan, the methionine supply for global poultry and swine feed would be constrained, affecting the chicken and pork supply chains. The same French facility that prevents gas leak deaths also makes an intermediate for the amino acid in your chicken sandwich.
Arkema S.A. ↗Origin2023
Arkema's dominant position in tert-butyl mercaptan (TBM) production traces directly to a geological accident: the Lacq natural gas field in the French Pyrenees, discovered in 1951, produced "sour" gas with exceptionally high hydrogen sulfide (H2S) content — up to 15% H2S, far above typical natural gas fields. This H2S required complex desulfurization before Lacq gas could enter the French pipeline network. The Lacq desulfurization plant, built by Elf Aquitaine in the 1950s, produced massive quantities of elemental sulfur as a by-product. Chemists recognized that this sulfur stream could be reacted with propylene to produce thiols (mercaptans) — and specifically TBM, the compound that gives natural gas its distinctive "skunk" odor. Arkema's Lacq facility became the world's dominant TBM producer not because of market strategy but because it sat adjacent to one of the world's most sulfur-rich natural gas fields at the moment when the global gas odorant industry was developing. Arkema itself was created in 2004 when Total SA spun off its specialty chemicals operations (originally Elf Atochem), bringing the Lacq chemical operations out of the oil major. A French Pyrenean geological accident determined where most of the world's natural gas safety odorant is made.
Arkema S.A. ↗Incident2020
Arkema has a documented history of facility safety incidents in France and the US. Most relevant: the Arkema Crosby, TX specialty chemicals facility (near Houston) was severely impacted by Hurricane Harvey in August 2017, losing refrigeration power and experiencing chemical fires from unstabilized organic peroxide decomposition — an event that required evacuation of nearby residents and generated national attention. While the Crosby site does not produce TBM/mercaptans (it handles organic peroxides), the event demonstrated Arkema's vulnerability to Gulf Coast hurricanes and the potential for cascading chemical safety incidents at specialty chemical sites. Separately, Arkema's French sites are subject to SEVESO III major accident hazard regulations; the Lacq thiochemicals complex handles hydrogen sulfide (H2S — extremely toxic, threshold limit value 1 ppm ceiling) and produces mercaptans under high-pressure conditions. A SEVESO-classified incident at Lacq would shut TBM production and require DREAL (Direction Régionale de l'Environnement) investigation before restart.
US Environmental Protection Agency ↗