Agriculture and food industry

The food industry is facing unprecedented challenges: how will we feed 9 billion people in 2050, while ensuring food security and protecting the environment? As a specialty chemical producer, Arkema supports these players in the promising animal nutrition market by manufacturing an essential component for the production of methionine: a sulfurous amino acid essential to animal nutrition. We also produce sustainable new soil fumigation agent that combines high efficiency with improved environmental performances for the protection of fruit and vegetable crops.

Largest bio-methionine plant in the world

Arkema, number one in the world in thiochemicals (sulphur-based products)

The Arkema Group produces methyl mercaptan, an indispensable compound for the production of methionine, which is widely used in Asia for feeding poultry. It has established a partnership with the Korean firm CheilJedang (CJ Group), the world leader in industrial biotechnology, in order to jointly produce the first methionine made from the biofermentation of renewable raw materials (bio-methionine).

Key figure

Location: Kerteh, Malaysia
Investment: ~€220 million
Start date: January 2017
Production: 80,000 tons of bio-methionine per year for animal nutrition
Partners: Arkema Group and CheilJedang (CJ Group)

Solutions for agriculture and environment

Soil fumigation is necessary to protect vegetables from soilborne pests (nematodes, disease pathogens) and weeds. The Arkema Group is therefore developing an innovative agent made from a sulfur derivative (dimethyl disulfide or DMDS), which occurs naturally present in the environment.

Oleris^® oleochemicals are used as sustainable, bio-based chemical intermediates and solvents for agrochemical formulations to replace traditional petroleum-based ingredients. Paladin^® and Accolade^® are efficient, safe and sustainable alternative to fumigants which toxicological and ecotoxicological profile are a risk for farmers and the environment. However, methyl bromide, the traditional fumigation agent, is now subject to regulatory restrictions due to its effect on the ozone layer. As a result, it will gradually disappear.

Discover Oleris^®

Discover DMDS

Fertilizer protection

All fertilizers like NPK, ammonium and potassium nitrates, CAN, DAP, potash, urea, etc. tend to a greater or lesser extent:

to cake
to generate dust
to gather moisture

during extended bulk storage, manipulations or long-distance transport.

Our offer of surfactants deliver various functions such as coating of fertilizers: protection against caking, moisture and dust. The range of coating agents, Fluidiram^® and Lilamin^®, specifically developed to preserve the integrity of fertilizers from their production to their final use. Our fertilizer coating agents are surfactant-based formulations specifically selected on the basis of the type of fertilizer to be treated, the requested performances and customer specificities. Arkema supplies fertilizer in a form that is best suited to its customers’ requirements: ready-to-use formulations and liquid or solid concentrates for on-site dilution.

Discover our range of surfactants