What products follow methanol?
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Now, with consideration given to comprehensive utilization and the rise of coal chemical industry, the production of methanol has increased dramatically. But what direction will the subsequent products of methanol take? I always feel that the direction of coal chemical industry shouldn’t be limited to just methanol as the sole product, and then move forward from there. At present, the coal-to-natural gas project of Datang in Keqi has started to shift its operations, but methanol is still being produced.
It’s just what I know personally, not information I found. The earliest instance was in 2005 in Golmud, where the use of natural gas to produce methanol began, utilizing Donghua’s technology. Burn natural gas at high temperature while controlling the oxygen addition amount. CO and H2 are produced, which are then used to synthesize methanol. I haven’t been there in many years; I’m not sure what the situation is like now. High-temperature steel is required for the combustion coils. There’s also the case in Zhumadian, Henan – the natural gas supplied through the West-to-East Gas Pipeline is simply not enough, so it’s practically impossible to operate there; it’s a complete joke. Later on, there was more methanol produced; after the fertilizer industry shifted from using oil to coal as a fuel source, it mostly began to produce methanol. The company transferred me to handle the sales of heat rods for permafrost on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and that’s where my work related to equipment came to an end. This year, after returning here, I’ve seen methanol everywhere; it’s used in the newly established coal-based ammonia and urea production processes, and its production also occurs through the comprehensive utilization of coking gas. Recently, methanol is no longer available; acetic acid is being used more and more, and now it can be said that its use is extremely high. With too much acetic acid, PTA production begins, and all of these materials are ultimately used as raw materials for synthetic fibers. It’s really hard to tell what the ultimate outcome will be ? ? ? ?
1# Guangguang: There are many future products, and I think coal-based methanol holds great promise. The main subsequent industries include methanol oil, dimethyl ether, ethylene, and formaldehyde. Transformed CO2 can be used to produce ammonia. If the industrial chain is integrated, the C utilization rate can reach 100%, eliminating CO2 emissions. Achieve high-value and clean utilization of coal.
There are many subsequent products of methanol; I have listed them as follows: formaldehyde； acetic acid ； Methylamine ； MTBE ； Methane chlorides ； MTG-produced gasoline ； Olefin production via MTO ； MTP technology for producing propylene, liquefied gas, and gasoline ； Methanol fuel. Methanol fuel is further divided into direct use, and chemical conversion to dimethyl ether and fuel cells.
Hydrogen production from methanol~! It produces dimethyl ether~!
Personal opinion: In the methanol production process, the by-products include sulfur and fusel oils； Extending the industrial chain by producing dimethyl ether based on methanol is a very promising industry.
Methanol is an important raw material in the organic chemical industry, with wide-ranging applications and numerous downstream products, including a series of organic chemicals such as formaldehyde, synthetic rubber, methylamine, dimethyl terephthalate, methyl methacrylate, acetic acid, and methyl tert-butyl ether. In line with market demands, developing products for the domestic market that are in short supply, especially downstream methanol products that can replace petrochemical products, is an important direction for the large-scale expansion of methanol production and the enhancement of market competitiveness in the future. These mainly include: formaldehyde, methyl formate, methamine, dimethyl carbonate, ethylene glycol, and methyl tert-butyl ether.
Methanol – Formaldehyde – Methyl acetal – Polyoxymethylene
The option with the lowest technical barriers is likely the use of dimethyl ether, as it requires less investment and yields results quickly； However, the benefits are highly affected by the market. Acetic acid products can also be developed, but the investment required is high. Products such as gasoline can also be developed.
Going further downstream with methanol, there are too many products! For example: acetic acid, olefin production from methanol, gasoline production from methanol, dimethyl ether, methyl tert-butyl ether, ethanol production via methanol homologation, methylamine, dimethyl carbonate, formic acid, formaldehyde, xylene, polyvinyl alcohol, methanol protein, formamide, dimethyl sulfate, and so on – there are too many!
What I know is that since the large-scale production of methanol from coal, downstream products of methanol have also become widespread. Co-production of synthetic ammonia and methanol from coal has become essential. As a new and high-end product, there are many polyoxymethylene products available in the domestic market. I don’t know what new products will be launched next. There are many products, but where lies the market potential? That’s the real question.