Taminco Starts Up New DMAPA Unit In USA

Ghent - Taminco is pleased to announce the on-time start up of its new DMAPA unit in St. Gabriel, Louisiana.

This unit, which was just announced in March, when combined with Taminco's existing production in Ghent, Belgium, will make Taminco one of the world's leading producers of DMAPA. DMAPA or dimethylaminopropylamine is primarily used as a raw material for amine oxides and betaines both of which are surfactants in a wide variety of personal care and household products, such as detergents, shampoos, and liquid body wash. DMAPA based surfactants show strong growth globally, because of the combination of their mild character and excellent performance.

Sabine Ketsman, Taminco's Global Business Director for Specialty Derivatives, commented: "We are quite pleased that our DMAPA unit is now on stream and we will be able to better service our customers globally. Taminco is committed to supplying its surfactant customers wherever they are and this is an important step for our business."

Besides DMAPA, the St. Gabriel plant manufactures many other amines including alkylamines, a variety of alkanolamines like DMEA, DEEA, MDEA, and DEHA.

Taminco is also building a tertiary amines (DIMLA; C12-C14 chain length) unit at its existing methylamines plant in Pace, FL. This unit is on schedule for start up in mid-2012. Tertiary amines are also intermediates for surfactants.

SOURCE: Taminco