my country’s butyl acetate (BA) industry has overcapacity and exports continue to grow

Butyl acetate (BA), also known as n-butyl acetate and butyl acetate, has the chemical formula CH3COO (CH2) 3CH3 and is an organic compound. Butyl acetate appears as a colorless and transparent liquid with a fruity smell. It is soluble in most organic solvents such as ether and ethanol, and is slightly soluble in water. Butyl acetate has a wide range of applications. As an organic solvent, it is widely used in the production of synthetic resins, synthetic rubber, polymer materials, medicine, and coatings.

The preparation methods of butyl acetate include solid chloride catalysis, sulfuric acid catalysis, heteropolyacid catalysis and HZSM-5 catalyst catalysis. The solid chloride catalytic method refers to using solid chlorides such as n-butanol, anhydrous stannous chloride, and glacial acetic acid as raw materials to obtain finished products through processes such as heating, mixing, esterification, and cooling. This method has high yield of finished products, It has the advantages of low production cost, easy operation and short esterification time, and is the mainstream preparation method of butyl acetate.

According to the “2023-2028 China Butyl Acetate (BA) Industry Market In-depth Research and Development Prospects Forecast Report ” shows that my country is one of the world’s major producers of butyl acetate, accounting for nearly 60% of the world’s output. Compared with overseas countries, the production cost of butyl acetate in my country is lower. Benefiting from factors such as strong overseas market demand, its export volume continues to increase. According to statistics from the General Administration of Customs of China, my country’s butyl acetate exports will reach 125,000 tons in 2022, a year-on-year increase of 11.6%. The main exporting countries of butyl acetate in my country include Thailand, Japan, Vietnam, India and other Asian countries, among which Japan is the largest exporter of butyl acetate in my country.

Butyl acetate is a commonly used organic solvent and is widely used in many fields. Synthetic resin and synthetic rubber are its largest demand ends. In the field of synthetic resin, butyl acetate can be used to produce methacrylic resin, alkyd resin, etc.; in the field of synthetic rubber, butyl acetate can be used to produce chlorinated rubber, nitrile rubber, etc. However, at present, my country’s butyl acetate industry has serious overcapacity and market demand has declined. my country’s butyl acetate sales will reach 397,000 tons in 2022, a year-on-year decrease of 10.1%.

At present, my country’s butyl acetate industry has entered a mature development stage, with many production companies and fierce market competition. Dongfang Shenghong, Baichuan Co., Ltd., Wanhua Chemical, Jinlitai, Milkwei, Huachang Chemical, Luxi Chemical, Jiangsu Thorpe, etc. are the main players in my country’s butyl acetate market. Baichuan Co., Ltd. is my country’s leading butyl acetate enterprise, with an annual production capacity of 100,000 tons, ranking first in my country.

Industry analysts said that butyl acetate is a basic organic chemical raw material and is widely used in the fields of synthetic resin and synthetic rubber. Driven by market demand, its production capacity continues to expand, and the industry has experienced overcapacity. In the future, as the industrial structure continues to be optimized, some backward production capacities will gradually withdraw from the market. By then, the development trend of my country’s butyl acetate industry will continue to improve.