Is the MMA process of acetic acid competitive? 5.5 billion project gives the answer

Project Breakthrough: A Critical Leap from Pilot to Industrialization

on March 5, 2025, the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region Ecological Environment Protection Industry Association issued an EIA announcement, and Xinjiang Zhongyou New Material Technology Co., Ltd. 400000 tons/year coal-based MMA project (Phase I) officially entered the EIA process. This marks that China's first set of acetic acid MMA industrialization device is about to land, breaking the ACH method, C4 method and ethylene method long-term dominant market pattern.

The project adopts the phased construction mode, with a total investment of 5.5 billion yuan. The design capacity of the first phase is 100000 tons/year, and MMA is produced from purchased synthesis gas and methanol. The main production units include gas separation unit, methyl acetate unit, formaldehyde and formaldehyde concentration unit, MMA unit, etc., and complete public works facilities such as storage tank area and sewage treatment plant. According to the contract signed with Yiwu County, Xinjiang on February 25, 2025, the project will strive to start construction within this year and be completed and put into operation by the end of 2026.

Acetic acid MMA is not a new technology. In September 2022, the 10,000-ton coal-based methanol-acetic acid MMA project industrial demonstration device independently developed by the Institute of Process Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences was successfully started in Hami, Xinjiang, becoming the world's first coal-based methanol-acetic acid MMA industrial demonstration device. Xinjiang Zhongyou's 10000-ton pilot plant provided technical verification for this industrial amplification. From the pilot plant to the 100000-ton industrial plant, this leap means that the process has completed a complete technical maturity verification.

At present, China's industrialized MMA production processes include C4 method, ACH method and ethylene method, of which ACH method is the largest industrialized scale, followed by C4 method, and ethylene method has only one set of devices. Different production processes are derived from improved ACH method, BASF method, Lucite method and other variant processes, which are different in terms of raw material conversion rate and by-product treatment, but the difference between product quality and downstream application is small.

Technology and Economy: A Dual Dimensional Assessment of the Acetic Acid Process

the advantages of process technology are obvious, and the process design is innovative.

MMA by acetic acid method uses methanol and acetic acid as raw materials to produce MMA products through aldol condensation and hydrogenation processes. The research and development team of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has achieved technological breakthroughs in three core links: the development of uniformly loaded multi-stage pore aldol condensation catalyst and large-scale preparation technology, breaking through the problems of low selectivity and short service life of the catalyst; The key technologies such as simulated moving bed reaction-regeneration have been overcome, and the long-term stable operation of aldol condensation reaction has been realized. A new extraction and separation technology has been developed, the separation problem of complex azeotropic systems such as formaldehyde-MMA-water was solved.

The process is relatively short, and the integrated preparation of acetic acid, methanol and syngas can be realized from coal, which has obvious synergistic advantages in the industrial chain. At the same time, the process is clean and environmentally friendly, realizing the strategic transformation of China's MMA production from being completely dependent on petroleum raw materials to coal-based raw materials.

Economic Measurement: Regional Resource Endowment Determines Competitiveness

based on patent data combined with estimates of raw material price trends from 2020 to the first half of 2025 (excluding waste treatment, labor, depreciation costs), the four processes show significant differences:

the C4 method has the highest unit cost without considering the offset cost of by-products, with a theoretical profit margin of only 7% in the first half of 2025 and the weakest competitiveness. Under the premise of self-supply of syngas, the theoretical profit margin of ethylene method in the first half of 2025 reached 31%. The ACH method, excluding the cost of hydrocyanic acid, has a theoretical profit margin of about 32% in the first half of 2025, making it the most profitable in this calculation. The theoretical profit margin of the acetic acid method in the first half of 2025 is about 16%, second only to the C4 method.

However, this conclusion is based on the average price of the national chemical market. The real competitiveness of acetic acid MMA is reflected in specific areas. The price of coal in Northwest China is significantly lower than the national average price. Taking Xinjiang as an example, the local coal price can bring 53% cost advantage to methanol production. Since the acetic acid method uses coal as a starting point to prepare methanol and acetic acid, integrated production can be achieved, and this resource endowment is directly translated into cost competitiveness.

According to the recalculation of coal prices in Xinjiang, the theoretical profit margin of MMA by acetic acid method can be increased to about 30%, and the gap with ethylene method and ACH method can be greatly reduced to reach the first-class level in the industry. In addition, if the natural gas method is used to prepare raw materials, low-carbon production attributes can be obtained, which provides strong support for enterprises to deal with carbon emission management policies.

Industrial layout: MMA production capacity cluster is forming in Northwest China

in addition to the Xinjiang Zhongyou project, the acetic acid MMA production capacity in the northwest region is rapidly gathering. Ningxia Baofeng Energy High-end Coal-based Chemicals Demonstration Project includes 200000 tons/year MMA plant, which will be announced in May 2025. It is planned to start construction in the second quarter of 2025 and be completed and put into operation in 2028. After being put into operation, it will become the world's largest coal-based MMA/POE integrated production base. Hami Xinneng Coal Chemical Industry 400000 Tons/Year MMA/PMMA Project uses pulverized coal as raw material, produces MMA after coal gasification and methanol synthesis, and extends to PMMA. The project was approved by Xinjiang Development and Reform Commission in October 2024, completed the overall design review in January 2025, plans to start construction in the third quarter of 2025, and initially plans to start production around 2028.

The total planned production capacity of the three major projects is 1 million tons/year, which will have a profound impact on the pattern of China's MMA industry. From the perspective of global supply chain, Northwest China is becoming a new MMA production center, which will reconstruct the MMA trade flow and price system in the Asia Pacific region.

conclusion and prospect

as the fourth largest production process, the industrialization process of acetic acid MMA will trigger industrial structural adjustment. The process itself has the advantages of short process, integrated production, clean and environmental protection, and shows the economic competitiveness of the traditional process in the northwest coal resource rich area. However, the downstream application of MMA is mainly PMMA, and industrial adjustment must be comprehensively considered in the complete industrial chain. Whether the advantages of the northwest region in the raw material end can be transformed into terminal market competitiveness, but also need to consider logistics costs, downstream support, market radiation and other factors. For overseas traders and supply chain practitioners, closely tracking the construction progress and production of these projects, and studying the impact on the regional supply and demand balance in advance will be the key to seize market opportunities.