Methanol, a key chemical intermediary, finds extensive use in the production of formaldehyde, acetic acid and other chemicals, with formaldehyde accounting for more than one-third of all methanol demand. Changing demand patterns have witnessed stagnant growth of methanol consumption in the fuel market.

China has contributed significantly to demand growth, accounting for about four-fifths of demand gain during the current decade. A key driver for increase in Chinese capacity is the rapidly growing domestic demand. However, methanol industry will require new capacity addition outside of China to cater to increasing global demand. There are considerable opportunities for demand growth in new applications like micro fuel cells, biodiesel and fuel blending.

With production bases shifting to Asian countries, the cost of distribution has become a significant component of the operating costs of methanol producers. The global methanol industry is fairly consolidated with the top five global methanol producers having a share of around one-half of the worldwide market.

The report broadly includes the following:

List of Tables
Methanol Properties
History of Methanol
Methanol Market Statistics in US (2005-07)
Methanol Demand in US by End-markets (2005-07)
Methanol Projected Demand in US (2008E-10E)
Methanol Projected Supply in US (2008E-10E)
Celanese - Sales by Region (2006-07)
Eastman Chemical - Sales by Region (2006-07)

List of Charts
Methanol Life Cycle
China - Methanol Capacity, Consumption & Production (2006-09E)
China - Planned Methanol Capacity by Source
Global Demand of Methanol by End-markets (2006)
Global Formaldehyde Consumption by Derivative (2006)
Global Formaldehyde Demand by Region (2006)
Global Acid Consumption by Derivative (2006)
Global Acetic Acid Demand by Region (2006)
Methanol Demand by Region (2007)
Methanol Supply by Region (2007)
Methanol Capacity Comparison by Ownership
Methanex - Sales by Region (2006)

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