Acetic acid: Feedstocks
A gas or coal product twice over
What this tab covers What it is made from and what it feeds: the raw materials and energy per tonne with their share of cost (linked to the commodity table), who is low-cost and why, and the chemicals made from it.Acetic acid is methanol plus carbon monoxide, so it is effectively a gas or coal product twice over. Plants that make their own methanol and CO from cheap coal (China) or gas (US Gulf) have the lowest costs. Buyers of merchant methanol, and anyone importing gas, sit higher on the curve.
Inputs per tonne
| Input | Quantity per tonne | Role | Share of cost | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gas Natural gas | about 0.54 t per t | methyl source | about 35-45% of cash cost (indicative) | stoichiometry (indicative) |
| Tc Thermal coal | about 0.53 t per t | carbonyl source | about 20-30% (indicative) | stoichiometry (indicative) |
| Rh Rhodium | small; recycled inventory | catalyst | small running cost but large working capital (indicative) | indicative |
| I Iodine | small make-up | promoter | under 2% (indicative) | indicative |
| Steam and power | about 1-2 t steam (indicative) | distillation | about 10-15% (indicative) | indicative |
Who is low-cost, and why
Chinese coal-integrated plants and US Gulf gas-based plants are the low-cost producers; European and Japanese plants buying methanol are higher cost. India's import parity is set by Chinese and Southeast Asian FOB prices plus freight and duty.
Raw materials on the commodity table
Gas Natural gasTc Thermal coalWhat it is made into
| Product | Note |
|---|---|
| PTA Purified terephthalic acid | acetic acid is the oxidation solvent |
| Adh Adhesives and sealants | via VAM and PVA |
| Pnt Paints and coatings | via VAM emulsions and ester solvents |
| APAP Paracetamol | via acetic anhydride |
| API Small-molecule APIs | acetylation and solvents |