Editing Acetaldehyde (section)

==Uses==
Traditionally, acetaldehyde was mainly used as a precursor to acetic acid.  This application has declined because acetic acid is produced more efficiently from methanol by the [[Monsanto process|Monsanto]] and [[Cativa process]]es. Acetaldehyde is an important precursor to [[pyridine]] derivatives, [[pentaerythritol]], and [[crotonaldehyde]].  Urea and acetaldehyde combine to give a useful [[resin]].  [[Acetic anhydride]] reacts with acetaldehyde to give [[ethylidene diacetate]], a precursor to [[vinyl acetate]], which is used to produce [[polyvinyl acetate]].<ref name=Ull/>

The global market for acetaldehyde is declining. Demand has been impacted by changes in the production of plasticizer alcohols, which has shifted because [[Butyraldehyde|''n''-butyraldehyde]] is less often produced from acetaldehyde, instead being generated by hydroformylation of [[propylene]].  Likewise, [[acetic acid]], once produced from acetaldehyde, is made predominantly by the lower-cost methanol carbonylation process.<ref>[http://www.ihs.com/products/chemical/planning/ceh/acetaldehyde.aspx "Acetaldehyde"]. ihs.com.</ref> The impact on demand has led to increase in prices and thus slowdown in the market.<br />
[[File:Production of acetaldehyde.JPG|thumbnail|right|Production of Acetaldehyde]]
{| class="wikitable"
|+Consumption of acetaldehyde (10<sup>3</sup> t) in 2003<ref name=Ull/><br />(* Included in others -glyoxal/glyoxalic acid, crotonaldehyde, lactic acid, ''n''-butanol, 2-ethylhexanol)
|-
! Product !! USA !! Mexico !! W. Europe !! Japan !! Total
|-
| Acetic Acid/Acetic anhydride ||-  || 11 || 89 || 47 || 147
|-
| Acetate esters || 35 || 8 || 54 || 224 || 321
|-
| Pentaerythritol || 26 || – || 43 || 11 || 80
|-
| Pyridine and pyridine bases || 73 || – || 10 || * || 83
|-
| Peracetic acid || 23 || – || – || * || 23
|-
| 1,3-Butylene glycol || 14 || – || – || * || 14
|-
| Others || 5 || 3 || 10 || 80 || 98
|-
| Total || 176 || 22 || 206 || 362 || 766
|}

[[China]] is the largest consumer of acetaldehyde in the world, accounting for almost half of global consumption in 2012. Major use has been the production of acetic acid. Other uses such as [[pyridine]]s and pentaerythritol are expected to grow faster than acetic acid, but the volumes are not large enough to offset the decline in acetic acid. As a consequence, overall acetaldehyde consumption in [[China]] may grow slightly at 1.6% per year through 2018. Western Europe is the second-largest consumer of acetaldehyde worldwide, accounting for 20% of world consumption in 2012. As with China, the Western European acetaldehyde market is expected to increase only very slightly at 1% per year during 2012–2018. However, [[Japan]] could emerge as a potential consumer for acetaldehyde in the next five years due to newfound use in commercial production of [[butadiene]]. The supply of butadiene has been volatile in Japan and the rest of Asia. This should provide the much needed boost to the flat market, as of 2013.<ref>Research and Markets ltd. [http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/lc8hz5/acetaldehyde "Acetaldehyde — Global Business Strategic Report"].</ref>