Methanol Uses

What do reformulated gasoline, PET plastic bottles, paints, plywood panels, bleached paper, Spandex clothing, polyester carpets and windshield wiper fluid have in common? The answer is methanol, made from clean natural gas.

Methanol is a liquid chemical that can be made from renewable resources such as municipal solid waste and biomass crops. Today, methanol is primarily made from steam reformed natural gas and carbon dioxide.

The methanol industry generates approximately $12 billion dollars in economic activity a year worldwide. As one of the largest distributors, SCC imports 1.4 million tons of the total 5.4 million tons of methanol per year into the U.S. eight percent of methanol supplied to the U.S. is produced in Trinidad.

METHANOL FUEL AND CHEMICAL USES

Methanol occupies a key position in the chemical industry, being mainly used to make wood adhesives and plastics. About 20% of production goes into making dyes and perspex and 15% into solvents for paints and dyes. It is also used for polyester fibers, methylcellulose and silicone compounds and can be used to manufacture the antiknock petrol additive M.T.B.E.

Methanol can be found in a wide array of products used in our homes, cars and businesses:

• Formaldehyde resins are used in engineered wood products like particleboard made from waste wood, and in products like seat cushions and Spandex fibers.
• Methanol-based acetic acid is used in making PET plastic bottles and polyester fiber in clothing and carpets.
• Methanol is one of the principal ingredients in windshield wiper fluid*, and is used in chlorine-free bleaches, paints, solvents, refrigerants, and disinfectants.
• As an alternative fuel, methanol is used in cars, trucks and buses to reduce tailpipe emissions and our dependence on imported oil.

*Windshield wiper fluid is 10-20% Methanol