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Oil prices are becoming the most sensitive factor affecting China’s economic development and people’s livelihoods. Currently, the sharp fluctuations in international oil prices are accelerating the adoption of alternative alcohol-ether fuels in the country. Compared to ethanol-blended gasoline, methanol-blended gasoline is attracting increasing attention from the industry as an alternative fuel due to its own unique properties. Methanol-based gasoline has clear advantages. Ethanol gasoline, which was once regarded by the National Development and Reform Commission as a key measure to alleviate the shortage of refined oil supplies in the country, is a mature, safe, and green renewable energy source that has received positive evaluations. Ethanol gasoline is produced from the fermentation of grains; according to industry standards, 3.3 tons of grains are required to produce 1 ton of ethanol. Given the current situation in our country, there is no surplus of grain. If fuel ethanol is widely adopted, or even implemented nationwide, it could lead to a food security crisis due to excessive consumption of grain. Given this, the development of methanol gasoline has gradually gained favor within the industry. It is reported that methanol gasoline is a cheap and clean fuel for vehicles; it is composed of 5% to 30% refined methanol, along with gasoline that meets national standards, naphtha, other types of oil, and modified additives in appropriate proportions. Methanol comes from coal, natural gas, coke oven gas, shale gas, and nitrogen chemical enterprises. The abundant high-sulfur, high-ash low-quality coal in our country can also be used as a raw material for methanol. At the same time, methanol gasoline offers good economic efficiency, safety, and environmental friendliness. Furthermore, methanol gasoline can significantly reduce exhaust emissions and air pollution, and it also offers notable energy-saving benefits. Another reason why methanol-blended gasoline is suitable for promotion in China is that the country has the world’s largest coal production, giving it a natural resource advantage. With the continuous improvement of methanol production technologies, high-sulfur coal and coal gangue can both be used to produce methanol, and many industrial wastes can be reused. Another advantage is that the cost of producing methanol is very low. Generally, the cost per ton is around 1,000, while the cost of producing ethanol is over 6,000 per ton. It holds great potential for profit. “However, methanol gasoline faced a lot of controversy in its early stages of adoption; issues such as toxic emissions, metal corrosion, and low calorific value, resulting from immature chemical additive technologies and blending techniques, led to widespread skepticism among the public.” ”Zhao Guangxi, the chief engineer of Hebei Zhongzhen Petrochemical Co., Ltd., said. With the continuous advancement and improvement of methanol gasoline blending technology, reputable research institutions have now largely resolved this issue, gradually gaining recognition from the industry and the public. The industry standards for methanol gasoline, which were originally set to be introduced at the end of 2008, were unfortunately postponed. According to industry experts, **it is highly likely that standards for methanol gasoline will be introduced in 2009. The introduction of this standard is likely to lead to a significant increase in market demand for methanol fuel; by 2010, China’s demand for methanol is set to reach or even exceed 25 million tons. When the standards will be introduced becomes key to unlocking production capacity. Due to the huge profit margins, we **consumed several million tons of methanol gasoline last year**. Methanol gasoline costs over 3,000 yuan per ton, while regular gasoline costs over 8,000 yuan per ton, resulting in a price difference of more than 5,000 yuan. If 10% methanol is mixed in, the price difference becomes more than 500 yuan. While ordinary gas stations only make a profit of a little over 200 yuan per ton of oil. If methanol gasoline is used, its profits will double. The prospects for development are promising. Rong Hui-kang, vice president of the National Professional Committee on Alcohol-Ether Fuels and Alcohol-Ether Clean Vehicles and executive deputy director of the Expert Committee of the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, said, “Methanol vehicles are an important part of China’s strategy for new energy vehicles; they represent the alcohol-ether category of vehicles. Methanol fuel and dimethyl ether have been identified as transitional alternative fuels for use in vehicles over the next 20 to 30 years.” Once the standards for methanol gasoline are established, they are likely to accelerate the development of vehicles powered by alcohols and ethers. ” The \"Guiding Principles on the Development of Alternative Energy Sources\" that the National Development and Reform Commission is preparing to issue also set strict requirements for the development of alternative energy sources. By 2020, new and renewable energy sources are expected to account for more than 20% of China’s total primary energy consumption, while the country’s dependence on imported oil is to be kept at around 55%. Developing new energy vehicles and advanced clean vehicles has become a focus of concern for the industry as a whole. Within the framework of the diversified development strategy for new energy vehicles, coal-based methanol, dimethyl ether, and flexible fuels have become one of the key directions. “Practice has shown that alcohol-ether fuels, particularly coal-based methanol fuels, are the alternative energy sources that best suit China’s national conditions and can achieve effective large-scale substitution. ”Rong Huikang said, \"Through the practices in Shanxi Province, methanol fuel has now received affirmative support from the relevant ministries and agencies, and together with dimethyl ether, it will serve as a transitional alternative fuel for vehicles over the next 20 to 30 years.\" ” http://www.16ds.com/papers/49/topics/7508 Related articles: The use of methanol fuel in Shanxi is at a world-class level http://bbs.hcbbs.com/thread-419307-1-2.html