The development prospects of tetrahydrothiophene are promising, and the production technology still needs to be improved
The CAS number of tetrahydrothiophene is 110-01-0, with a molecular formula of C4H8S and a relative molecular weight of 88.17. It is generally a colorless or pale yellow liquid, insoluble in water, and miscible with ethanol, ether, benzene, and acetone. Tetrahydrophene has a strong unpleasant odor, which, although unpleasant, is the key reason why this compound is used as an odorant in fuel gases such as city gas, liquefied petroleum gas, and natural liquefied gas. Meanwhile, tetrahydrothiophene can also be used as a raw material for pharmaceuticals and pesticides.
At present, tetrahydrothiophene is mainly used as a gas odorant. With the increasing environmental protection efforts in China and the vigorous promotion of the coal to gas policy, the application of gas as a clean energy source is becoming more and more widespread, and the corresponding safety issues of gas application are also highlighted. Adding odorants to gas can alert users to take necessary measures through abnormal odors when gas leaks. With the introduction and implementation of policies such as the “Opinions on Promoting Green Development of Urban and Rural Construction”, “Opinions on Deepening the Battle of Pollution Prevention and Control”, and “Notice on the Comprehensive Work Plan for Energy Conservation and Emission Reduction in the 14th Five Year Plan”, China’s gas industry will also usher in good development, and its applications will increase. As a type of odorant that must be added during gas transportation and use, tetrahydrothiophene will usher in broad development space in its industry with the good development of the gas industry.
The tetrahydrothiophene industry has high barriers in terms of technology, market, qualifications, funding, and talent. Although there are various production processes for tetrahydrothiophene, they all have certain shortcomings to some extent, and their production will produce pollutants, causing certain pollution to the environment. In the context of stricter environmental policies, potential enterprises face many technical difficulties. At the same time, tetrahydrothiophene is widely used in the gas field, serving as a warning of gas leaks and affecting the safety of people’s lives. However, it is a flammable substance and requires qualification before production. Therefore, there are few tetrahydrothiophene production enterprises in China, and the product supply capacity is limited. At present, the production capacity of tetrahydrothiophene in China is concentrated, and the products are mainly produced by two enterprises, Anqing Changhong Technology Co., Ltd. and Xinji Shunlong Chemical Co., Ltd. According to the report “In depth Market Research and Investment Strategy Suggestions for the Tetrahydrophene Industry from 2023 to 2027” released by the New Frontier Industry Research Center, the production of tetrahydrothiophene products in China will increase to 1852 tons in 2023.
Industry analysts from Xinsijie believe that the demand for tetrahydrothiophene as a gas odorant will continue to grow with the increasing popularity of gas in China. However, the domestic tetrahydrothiophene industry developed relatively late, with few production enterprises, and there is still a gap in technology and product quality compared to foreign enterprises, resulting in weak competitiveness. To this end, domestic enterprises should continuously increase their R&D investment, accelerate the transformation of key technology introduction from digestion and absorption to re innovation, strengthen technical exchanges and cooperation with various suppliers, application end customers, and universities, optimize key process conditions, develop high-performance and low-cost tetrahydrothiophene preparation technology, and achieve the improvement and stability of key performance.