What are the other uses of methanol?

Other uses of methanol form the basis for many products including silicones, refrigerants, adhesives, specialty plastics and coatings, textiles, and water-treatment chemicals. Your winter driving is made safer by methanol-based windshield antifreeze. Acrylic plastic light-coverings in your home and car are based on another methanol derivative, methyl methacrylate. Other acrylic polymers are used in water-based interior and exterior coatings where superior durability is required. Your paper products are likely bleached using chlorine dioxide, a process which produces significantly fewer pollutants than traditional bleaching methods.

Similar to formaldehyde and acetic acid, overall growth of other derivatives is largely driven by general economic growth with some indicators including housing starts, new car production and industrial production.

Solvents and Antifreeze
The largest solvent use for methanol is as a component of windshield wash antifreeze, where it can account for up to 50% of the solution depending on local climatic conditions. While not showing substantial growth, the expanded use of summer windshield cleaning solutions has changed the seasonal nature of this market. Methanol's purity and physical properties enable it to be used to extract, wash, dry and crystallize pharmaceuticals and agricultural chemicals. It also acts well as a solvent in the production of ethyl cellulose, polyvinyl acetate, nitrocellulose, dyes, shellacs and numerous other chemicals.

Like all chlorinated solvents, use of these products is expected to slowly decline due to health and environmental concerns. Methyl chloride is used as an intermediate in the production of silicone fluids and elastomers, a market that is still growing.

Methylamines
Methylamines are used as intermediates in a diverse range of specialty chemicals, with applications in water-treatment chemicals, solvents, shampoos, liquid detergents and animal feed.

Methyl Methacrylate (MMA)
Methyl methacrylate is used in the production of acrylic polymers. The largest market is in acrylic resins and plastics, used either as sheet or moulding and extrusion compounds. Sheet acrylics are used for glazing and lighting fixtures. Acrylic resins are processed into automotive parts, appliances, medical devices and optical discs.

Acrylic polymers are also used in water-based paints and coatings. Demand for water-based systems will continue to increase as solvent-based systems are prohibited in regions requiring lower emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

Dimethyl Terephthalate (DMT)
Dimethyl terephthalate is also used in the production of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) polymers. The increase in use of polyesters for fabrics and beverage bottles affects DMT use. The terephthalic acid (TPA) production process, which utilizes acetic acid, is more cost-effective and will limit the growth of DMT.

Chlorine Dioxide
Methanol and sodium chlorate are used to produce chlorine dioxide, a bleaching agent primarily used in the pulp and paper industry to meet requirements for reduced organo-chloride emissions. With the growth in elemental chlorine-free (ECF) pulp products, demand for chlorine dioxide bleaching has increased the demand for methanol.

Glycol Ethers
Glycol ethers, or ether solvents, are a small market which will increasingly benefit from the environmentally driven phase-out of objectionable solvents. Glycol ethers offer a bridge between solvent-based and water-based systems. These solvents are used in acrylic coatings, newer high-solids and waterborne coatings.

Methyl Mercaptan
Methyl mercaptan is largely used as an intermediate in the production of DL-methionine, an amino acid supplement with a high-growth potential market in animal feeds. Other uses include synthesis of jet fuel additives and fungicides.