Methanol

Methanol is a colorless liquid. It is the simplest and cheapest alcohol. Methanol, also known as Methyl alcohol (CH3OH), is manufactured from synthesis gas, produced from steam reformed natural gas and carbon dioxide. Methanol is synthesized under pressure in a catalytic process and the crude Methanol is purified to chemical grade by distillation. Natural gas is the feedstock used in most of the world's production units. It can also be produced from coal gasification as a byproduct of refineries.

Examples of applications

Methanol is a versatile feedstock for the chemicals industry. The largest scale applications in terms of volume are processing into formaldehyde, which is further treated to form resins, glues and various plastics and for the production of acetic acid which is essentially used for the production of polyester fibers and PET plastics. In recent years, the significance of methanol as an energy source has constantly increased. In petrol, methanol increases the octane number either in the form of a direct additive or as a component of MTBE (methyl-tertiary-butyl-ether), improving combustion qualities and reducing emissions. Particularly in China, methanol is processed to form DME (di-methyl-ether) used as a substitute for liquefied gas. Likewise in China, the processing of methanol into olefins has recently been implemented on a large scale: in the production of ethylene and propylene, new value-added chains are unfolding for methanol as a feedstock, for instance in producing polyethylene, polypropylene, and glycols.

Packaging

• Bulk in seagoing vessels or barges