Mega-Methanol: Opening New Markets
Methanol is undergoing an amazing transformation -- again. Prices will never be higher, but volumes will never be lower. Opportunities for vast new markets, such as methanol-derived plastics and polymers, power fuels, DME/DMM, fuel cells and even gasoline emerge as methanol costs fall from more than $150 per ton to someday $50 per ton ($2.50/MMBtu). At these levels, methanol resembles a fuel more than a chemical. What is the likelihood that process designers can achieve such cost levels? What are the opportunities for new products and markets if they are successful? Who will be the dominant competitors of this future fuel and chemical marketplace? This workshop will consider these and other issues.

DME: Getting to 400 Million Tons per Year
DME (also known as synthetic LPG) is making surprising progress as a natural gas and coal monetization tool. In Iran, the world's largest plant with an annual capacity of some 800,000 tons is being built to consume gas from the famous South Pars field. In China, another 200,000 tons are being constructed to consume coal. But, these plants are just the beginning. According to International DME Association, ideally sized plants will produce 10 million tons per year to compete first as an LPG supplement for heating and cooking east of the Suez, then fuel for DME-fired power generation, and finally as a superclean diesel replacement. The grand total will ultimately approach 400 million metric tons per year, says BP's Theo Fleisch.