Dover also manufactures the PIB succinimide (PIBSI) derivative, which is a dispersant considered a cost-effective alternative to polyethers used in diesel, biodiesel and engine oils to control engine deposits. It also has applications in water treatment.

Business product manager Brad Barth said Dovers current PIBSA and derivatives capacity is geared to smaller-sized lots suitable for niche to mid-size opportunities.

We wouldnt be able to compete with the big three – Lubrizol, Afton and Chevron. Theyre huge producers, he continued. But it does seem like demand is ever increasing, so we feel that there is a market for a smaller person if hes looking to derivatize or look for other applications for PIBSA. Its a chemistry that fits well within our production capabilities.

Manufacturers react maleic anhydride with polyisobutylene to make PIBSA. PIB supply today is generally plentiful, according to Barth.

One of the things that has happened over the last, say, three years is that the people that do offer PIB to the merchant market – such as INEOS, TPC [Texas Petrochemical], and even some Brazilian sources of polybutenols – they all have undergone or theyre undergoing production expansions, he explained.

Barth noted that some companies that dont typically sell to the merchant market have an excess of PIB today. Thats not going to be our primary source, as it stands right now, he continued. But if you wanted, you could go out and buy PIB from people that dont typically sell to the merchant market. I think thats more an evidence of the times, than a standard.

He noted that the PIBSI derivative has been used in the past as an additive in diesel fuel, where it serves as an effective detergent. One of the things I have learned, as were moving into [higher] percentages of biodiesel added into diesel fuels, some of the problems with deposits have resurfaced, Barth explained. So there has been a renewed interest in something like the succinimide in detergent additives in diesel fuel.