Hoechst Celanese, Bay City, Tex.
Capacities are highly flexible, since other acetate esters are made in the same units.
Capacities could be rated significantly higher if equipment was devoted solely to n-butyl acetate. All three producers have implemented debottlenecking operations to add a total of 85 million pounds of n-butyl acetate since 1994. Eastman's capacity has been raised from 60 million pounds to 95 million. Hoechst boosted capacity from 120 million pounds to 150 million and moved its production of n-butyl acetate from Bishop, Tex., to its Bay City, Tex., plant late in 1995. Carbide's plant capacity has been raised from 80 million pounds to 100 million.