product focus

Korea

PRICES

A S I A / P A C I F I C EA, 26 cts-27
cts/lb fob; BA, 20 cts-21 cts/lb fob.

Korea AlcohoP
Ulsan

ETHYL ACETATE
BUTYL ACETATE

U . S . EA, 37 cts-40 cts/lb fob,

medium-sized customers; BA, 40 cts-42
cts/lb fob, medium-sized customers.
E U R O P E EA, DM1,000DMl,500/m.t. fob; BA, DM850DM900/m.t. fob.

Dairen Chemical
Ta-sheh Hsian
Lee Chang Yung Chemical
Linyuan City

TECHNOLOGY
BP Amoco's expansion at Hull will be the
first to commercialize its "direct addition"
method, which produces acetate directly
from ethylene and acetic acid. Conventional
processes produce EA from ethanol and
acetic acid and BA from butyl alcohol and
acetic acid.'

30

60

SOUTH AMERICA

PRODUCERS

NORTH AMERICA

ETHYL ACETATE
NORTH AMERICA

Ceianese
Cangrejara, Mexico
Pampa,TX
Celaya, Mexico

Eastman Chemical
Longview, TX
Kingsport, TN
Solutia
Springfield, MA

~67

BUTYL ACETATE

(in thousands of m.t./year)

OUTLOOK
Worldwide demand for ethyl acetate (EA),
now 900,000-m.t./year, is projected to grow
2.5%/year through 2006, below last year's
3.2%/year forecast. Producers say reduced
exports to Asia and Latin America have
left North America oversupplied. Low
ethanol costs in Latin Americaa key raw
material for EAhave resulted in cheaper
EA in that region. EA producers in the
former Soviet Union are shipping excess
capacity into Western Europe and have
flooded the market, sources say.
The 600,000-m.t./year butyl acetate (BA)
market is expected to grow 2%/year, led by
demand for automotive paints and coatings,
for which BA is a major raw material. However, the grovwii rate is down from 1998 projections of 3.5%/year. Producers cite falling
demand in Europe and Asia/Pacific.
Despite the demand slowdown, producers say they will proceed with planned
capacity expansions. Ceianese is building
a 100,000-m.t./year EA plant in Singapore
that will begin production in second-half
1999. Union Carbide plans to bring 50,000
m.t./year of BA onstream at Kertih,
Malaysia by 2001.
BP Amoco says it will raise capacity at its
Hull, U.K. plant to 220,000 m.t./year by
2001. The company says that as of next year
it will no longer need EA from Enichem
(table). Sasol (Johannesburg) plans to bring
50,000 m.t./year of EA and 50,000
m.t./year of BA onstream in 2001.
BP Amoco is planning a 150,000m.t./year EA plant in China for startup the
following year. However, market watchers
are skeptical that the company will complete the project.

45

Taiwan

82
57
15
36
36
24

WESTERN EUROPE

Ceianese
Bay City, TX
Bishop, TX
Celaya, Mexico
Eastman Chemical
Kingsport, TN
Union Carbide
Texas City, TX

9^
80
7
78
60

WESTERN EUROPE

BP Amoco
Antwerp

95

France

Solutia
Antwerp

12

Germany

Huls
Marl
Ceianese
Frankfurt
itaiy
EniChem'
Porto Marghera

40
36

60

30

Sweden

Sekab^
Stockholm
Svensk Etanol Kemi
Domsjo

SwitzeHand
Lonza
Visp
BP Amoco
Hull

30
15

Huls
Marl
BASF
Ludwigshafen
Ceianese
Frankfurt

65
50
40

Societa Italiana Serie

Pioltello
EniChem
Porto Marghera
Lonza
San Giovanni

30
20
15

U.iC

17

ASIA
Japan

Kyowa Yuka
125

Indonesia

70
6

Yokkaichi

Shinko Yuki Kagaku Kogyo

Kobe
Daicel Chemical
Otake

30
22
16

Korea

Korea Alochol
Ulsan

23

Taiwan

Japan

Tokuyama Petrochemical
Shin-Nanyo
Chiba Ethyl Acetate
Ichihara
Kyowa Yuka

13

Germany

BP Chemicals
Hull

ASIA
Showa Esterindo Indonesia
Merak
Indo Acidatama Chemical
Solo

25

rtaly

Spain

Erkimia
Tarragona

Rhone-Poulenc
Melle
Usines Lambiotte
Premery

86
44

Chang Chun Petrochemical

Miaoli City
Shiny Chemical Industrial
Kaohsiung Hsien
SOUTH AMERICA

Yokkaichi

25

Nippon Synthetic Chemical

Mizushima

22

24
12
22

1) Toll manufactured for BP Amoco. 2) Product is marketed by

Union Carbide. 3) Joint venture with BP Amoco. 4) 80,000 m.t.
w-butyl acetate; 10,000 m.t. isobutyl acetate. Sources: company
reports and CM5'research.

CHEMICAL WEEK 2000 BUYERS' GUIDE & INDUSTRY ALMANAC 4 7