Material Insights · Understanding the Material World

Acetic acid and Thermal coal

Thermal coal is a raw material for acetic acid; their prices have moved together.

Acetic acid (chemical) and Thermal coal (energy): 2 relationships.

How they are linked

1. Feedstock

Physical flow · Direct · Thermal coal → Acetic acid

Acetic acid is made from thermal coal: it is one of the raw materials its production routes start from.

2. Price link: syngas feed

Cost and price · Strong · Both ways

Chinese plants make their carbon monoxide and methanol from coal, so coal costs set the price of the marginal Chinese tonne. The Australian coal price moves with the proxy at 0.17 monthly and 0.76 yearly.

  • 0.17 monthly change correlation
  • 0.76 12-month change correlation
  • 0.28 fitted elasticity

Built from the site data on production routes, energy flows, industry value chains, input-output tables and prices.