Acetic acid, a clear colourless liquid with a pungent odour, is used as a chemical intermediate and solvent with widespread applications throughout industry. Thevinyl acetate monomer (VAM) sector consumes 44% of the world consumption of acetic acid. Many VAM plants are integrated with acetic acid facilities. In the United States VAM comprises 60% of the acetic acid commercial output. End-uses for VAM include paints, adhesives, textiles, paper, films, and chewing gums.
The production of purified terephthalic acid (PTA) is the second largest outlet in Asia, consuming 18% of acetic acid production. It is also the fastest growing sector, pulled by strong demand for polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles and polyester fibres. Di-methyl terephthalate (DMT) and Purified terephthalate (PTA) account for eight% of the acetic acid production in the US, going downstream to PET solid state resins and films.
Acetic anhydride, used for cellulose acetate/filter tow for cigarettes; plastics; coatings; pesticides and pharmaceuticals takes up 15% of the acetic acid output. Acetate esters (ethyl acetate and butyl acetate) account for 10%, primarily used in paints and coatings. The remaining portion of acid production is utilized by chloroacetic acid and other such acids, moving downstream to end-uses in di-ketene production for pharmaceutical and industrial applications.
ICIS pricing quotes acetic acid in Europe, Asia-Pacific and the US Gulf.
To find out more Acetic Acid Methodology March 2013
