Methanol—essential for everyday life
Methanol is essential to everyday life today, and a pathway to a low-carbon future tomorrow. As a key chemical building block or as a fuel, when made from renewable sources, methanol can help society achieve its decarbonization goals.
Methanol is an essential chemical building block for hundreds of consumer and industrial products, including paints, carpets, fabrics, building materials, and a variety of health and pharmaceutical products. It’s also difficult to substitute based on its unique chemistry, scale, ease of transport and cost.
A cleaner-burning fuel, methanol can help improve air quality by reducing emissions compared to traditional fuels such as diesel or coal. As it can be made from renewable sources, methanol fuel can also help society achieve its decarbonization goals.
Methanol is used to make plywood and medium-density fibreboard (MDF) and is also an essential ingredient in sealants, paints and solvents.
Methanol is used in technology that keeps us connected, like laptops and cellphones. It is also used in applications that harness clean energy, such as solar panels and wind turbines.
Chemicals made with methanol can extend the durability and life of consumer products like fleece clothing and carpeting. New applications can also make these products more easily recyclable.
Methanol is used in plastics that make cars lighter and more fuel efficient to reduce CO₂ emissions. Examples include plastic body panels, dashboard foam and plastic gears and mouldings.
Methanol is used in the manufacture of vitamins, hormones, antibiotics, and other pharmaceuticals.
Methanol is used to fuel cars, buses and trucks that transport people and goods, replacing gasoline and diesel. Methanol is also used as a fuel-additive (MTBE) to help reduce tail-pipe emissions.
As a cleaner-burning marine fuel, methanol significantly reduces emissions of Sox by 99 per cent, Nox by 80 per cent, PM by 95 per cent* and CO₂ from combustion by 15 per cent.
*Note: Compared to Tier I vessels running on traditional marine fuel (heavy fuel oil).
Methanol provides a heat source for residential applications like cooking stoves.
Methanol-fuelled boilers in China generate heat and steam for industrial applications, and methanol provides a heat source for commercial applications like kilns.