This summer, the liquefied carbon dioxide and dry ice markets again suffered from a lack of balance between supply and demand, The Gas Review reports.
As the decline in sources of raw materials accelerated, plant troubles occurred one after the other at suppliers of raw gas almost across the country from early spring when companies had to work to increase stock levels toward high summer, forcing manufacturers to adjust shipments.
Chronic shortages in sources of carbon dioxide in recent years resulted from three main factors: a decline in sources of raw material itself, sporadic troubles at plants that supply the raw material and longer scheduled maintenance periods. But it is the decline in sources of raw material that is the most concerning to producers, The Gas Review says.
For the locations that use desulfurised gas from oil refineries, there are many cases where raw gas cannot be obtained to meet initial schedules because of demand for gasoline and changes in the amount of hydrogen used in refineries. Carbon dioxide producers said that supply quantities were particularly low this year with “a 20-30% reduction in production from past years.”
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