China's Vinyl Acetate Industry in 2009   

1. Introduction  

Vinyl acetate is one of the most important organic chemical raw materials. It is mainly used to synthesize polyvinyl acetate, which is then turned into polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) by alcoholysis. China's consumption of vinyl acetate differs from that of other countries'. China's vinyl acetate plants were originally designed to produce vinylon fiber. In the 1970s - 80s, about 85% of the country's vinyl acetate was used for the production of PVOH, and most of PVOH was used to produce vinylon. However, in the late 80s, sluggish sales of vinylon products hurt the PVOH industry, shrinking the consumption of vinyl acetate. Since then, the PVOH industry has begun to pay attention to the non-fiber uses of PVOH and develop new markets for it. In recent years, the consumption of vinyl acetate has gradually increased, and its market situation has greatly improved.

2. Supply and demand today and development prospects of vinyl acetate in China  

2.1 Production   

In 1963, Sinopec Beijing Dongfang Petrochemical Corporation (formerly the Beijing Organic Chemical Plant) imported the calcium carbide based acetylene process from Japan's Kuraray Corporation to build China's first vinyl acetate production unit (later changing to the ethylene process in gas phase). In 2007, China's vinyl acetate capacity reached 1.283 million t/a. In August 2008, Celanese (Nanjing) Chemical Co., Ltd.'s 300 000 t/a vinyl acetate production unit, using the gas-phase ethylene process, was put into operation. Since then, China has had 15 vinyl acetate production enterprises with a total annual capacity of 1.583 000 t/a and is second only to the USA in output. Because China is rich in coal but poor in oil, 11 of these 15 enterprises use the calcium carbide based acetylene process and have a combined capacity of 845 000 t/a, accounting for 53.4% of China's total vinyl acetate capacity; only one uses the natural gas based acetylene process with a capacity of 210 000 t/a, accounting for 13.3% of the total; and 3 use the ethylene process and have a combined capacity of 528 000 t/a, accounting for 33.3% of the total. Celanese (Nanjing) Chemical Co., Ltd. is now China's largest vinyl acetate manufacturer, having a capacity of 300 000 t/a, and accounting for 18.9% of China's total vinyl acetate capacity. The second-largest is Sinopec Sichuan Vinylon Plant, which has a vinyl acetate capacity of 210 000 t/a, accounting for about 13.3% of China's total vinyl acetate capacity.
    With the constant expansion of its vinyl acetate capacity, China's output of vinyl acetate has also increased constantly. China's output of vinyl acetate was only 862 000 tons in 2003 and 1.052 million ton in 2006. In 2008, it increased to 1.21 million tons, up 11.7% year on year. From 2003 to 2008, the average annual growth rate of China's vinyl acetate output was about 7.0%. But the statistical data about China's output and annual growth rate of vinyl acetate in 2009 have not come out yet. Currently, several companies are building or planning to build new projects to expand their vinyl acetate capacity. For example, Sinopec Sichuan Vinylon Plant is building a new 300 000 t/a vinyl acetate unit. This project was launched in Chongqing autonomous region 2008 and will be put into operation by the end of 2010. Yibin Tianyuan Group Co., Ltd. plans to build a 240 000 t/a vinyl acetate plant in Yiliang of Yunnan province before 2013. Sinopec Beijing Dongfang Petrochemical Co. intends to expand its existing vinyl acetate capacity to 180 000 t/a. Yankuang Lunan Chemical Fertilizer Plant plans to build a 200 000 t/a vinyl acetate unit. Hubei Yihua Chemical Industry Co., Ltd. plans to establish a chemical park, including a 300 000 t/a vinyl acetate unit in Wuda, Inner Mongolia. This project will be completed within 5 years. Yunnan Yunwei Co., Ltd. intends to increase its vinyl acetate capacity by 50 000 t/a in Baoshan of Yunnan province in 2011. In addition, this company also plans to build a new 200 000 t/a vinyl acetate unit in Qujing in the same province in 2011. Jiangsu Changlian Chemical Co., Ltd. plans to set up a 360 000 t/a vinyl acetate unit in Yangzhou Chemical Industry Park. It is expected that by 2012, China's vinyl acetate capacity will reach 2.3 million t/a.


Major manufacturers of vinyl acetate in China in 2009   

Manufacturer
    Capacity (000 t/a)    Production process   
Celanese (Nanjing) Chemical Co., Ltd.
    300                 Gas-phase ethylene process
Sinopec Sichuan Vinylon Plant    
    210                 Natural gas based acetylene process
Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical Co., Ltd.
    118                 Ethylene process
Sinopec Beijing Dongfang Petrochemical Co., Ltd.
    110                 Ethylene process
Shanxi Sanwei Group Co., Ltd.           
    135                 Calcium carbide based acetylene process
Anhui Wanwei Updated Hi-Tech Material Industry Co., Ltd.  
    155                 Calcium carbide based acetylene process
Hunan Xiangwei Co., Ltd.               
    80                  Calcium carbide based acetylene process
Guangxi Vinylon Group Co., Ltd.     
    70                  Calcium carbide based acetylene process
Jiangxi Chemical Fiber Co., Ltd.     
    100                 Calcium carbide based acetylene process
Fujian Textile Fiber Group Co., Ltd.  
    60                  Calcium carbide based acetylene process
Guizhou Shuijing Organic Chemical Group
    55                   Calcium carbide based acetylene process
Lanzhou Vinylon Co., Ltd.             
    50                  Calcium carbide based acetylene process
Shijiazhuang Chemical Fiber Co., Ltd.
    25                  Calcium carbide based acetylene process
Yunnan Yunwei Co., Ltd.
    85                  Calcium carbide based acetylene process
Mudanjiang Northeast Chemical Co., Ltd.
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