91
2 0 0 0
2 0 0 1
2 0 0 2
2 0 0 3
2 0 0 4
2 0 0 5
2 0 0 6
2 0 0 7
2 0 0 8 2 0 0 9 - 1 .
q u a r t e r
Euros/metric ton
500
400
300
200
100
0
Years
Methanol
Figure 4.1
Price development of methanol. (From INEOS, Paraform, Methanol Price, 2009. Online available
at http://www.ineosparaform.com/55-Methanol_price.htm.)
methanol growth. Demand in 2009, 2010, and beyond will likely be in double
digits due to more gasoline blending, DME demand and “methanol to olefin”
and “methanol to propylene” feedstock requirements (CMAI 2009).
Figure 4.1 shows the price development of methanol in Euros/metric ton
since early 2000. During the past two years, the methanol price has shown
a unique pattern. The price of most chemical feedstocks skyrocketed the
same way as the price of crude oil, whereas the price of methanol oscillated
between 167 and 869 U.S. $/ton (1 Euro is approximately 1.38 U.S. $, June
2009) in the U.S. spot market. Presently, it can be found in the middle of this
range, with no recognizable upward trend. Methanol price is of particular
importance in the search for processes and feedstocks as an alternative to
classical oil-based chemistry (Schrader et al. 2009).
Methanol is one of the basic chemicals that have a variety of derivatives,
and is mainly used as a raw material for CH 2 O, acetic acid (CH 3 COOH), and
so on. The breakdown of uses of methanol is given in Figure 4.2. It is also
expected that the methanol demand will grow with having the potential
applications such as biodiesel and DME in the future. Methanol is already
playing a key role in many applications; from fuel cells to chemicals and
some authors, like Nobel Prize laureate G. Olah, see a future methanol-based
economy as more than possible (Nouri and Tillman 2005).
4.5 Methanol Safety Aspects
Methanol is a clear, colorless, and volatile liquid with a faint alcohol-like odor,
though it is difficult to detect at concentrations below 10 ppm. Methanol is
the simplest of the alcohols, having only one carbon atom, and is completely
miscible in water. Methanol easily dissolves in other alcohols and chlorinated hydrocarbons, but has limited solubility in diesel fuel, vegetable oils,
and aliphatic hydrocarbons. The properties of methanol are compared to the
2 0 0 0
2 0 0 1
2 0 0 2
2 0 0 3
2 0 0 4
2 0 0 5
2 0 0 6
2 0 0 7
2 0 0 8 2 0 0 9 - 1 .
q u a r t e r
Euros/metric ton
500
400
300
200
100
0
Years
Methanol
Figure 4.1
Price development of methanol. (From INEOS, Paraform, Methanol Price, 2009. Online available
at http://www.ineosparaform.com/55-Methanol_price.htm.)
methanol growth. Demand in 2009, 2010, and beyond will likely be in double
digits due to more gasoline blending, DME demand and “methanol to olefin”
and “methanol to propylene” feedstock requirements (CMAI 2009).
Figure 4.1 shows the price development of methanol in Euros/metric ton
since early 2000. During the past two years, the methanol price has shown
a unique pattern. The price of most chemical feedstocks skyrocketed the
same way as the price of crude oil, whereas the price of methanol oscillated
between 167 and 869 U.S. $/ton (1 Euro is approximately 1.38 U.S. $, June
2009) in the U.S. spot market. Presently, it can be found in the middle of this
range, with no recognizable upward trend. Methanol price is of particular
importance in the search for processes and feedstocks as an alternative to
classical oil-based chemistry (Schrader et al. 2009).
Methanol is one of the basic chemicals that have a variety of derivatives,
and is mainly used as a raw material for CH 2 O, acetic acid (CH 3 COOH), and
so on. The breakdown of uses of methanol is given in Figure 4.2. It is also
expected that the methanol demand will grow with having the potential
applications such as biodiesel and DME in the future. Methanol is already
playing a key role in many applications; from fuel cells to chemicals and
some authors, like Nobel Prize laureate G. Olah, see a future methanol-based
economy as more than possible (Nouri and Tillman 2005).
4.5 Methanol Safety Aspects
Methanol is a clear, colorless, and volatile liquid with a faint alcohol-like odor,
though it is difficult to detect at concentrations below 10 ppm. Methanol is
the simplest of the alcohols, having only one carbon atom, and is completely
miscible in water. Methanol easily dissolves in other alcohols and chlorinated hydrocarbons, but has limited solubility in diesel fuel, vegetable oils,
and aliphatic hydrocarbons. The properties of methanol are compared to the