Why methanol companies are not enthusiastic about methanol fuel

- Both excess energy consumption and alternative energy

Sinochem New Network News October 12, reporters from the promotion of the use of methanol, gasoline and diesel office in Shaanxi Province confirmed, in the near future the province will hold a mobilization meeting to deploy methanol gasoline promotion. In an interview, the reporter learned that in the face of a serious excess of methanol production capacity, many domestic methanol production companies are very cautious about developing methanol fuel, and they are not as imaginative as they are.

The reporter interviewed Shaanxi Shenmu Chemical Co., Ltd., one of the drafters of "vehicle fuel methanol," and several state-owned large-scale methanol production enterprises such as Shaanxi Xianyang Chemical Industry Co., Ltd. and Shaanxi Yulin Natural Gas Chemical Co., Ltd. As a result, although they are well aware that the start-up of the alcohol ether fuel market is one of the practical solutions to the problem of excess methanol production capacity, there is currently no idea of ​​using methanol to produce methanol fuel.

After investigation and research reporters found that this phenomenon is also very representative of the country, although the national standard for car fuel methanol and M85 methanol gasoline has been announced for nearly a year, but only a handful of methanol companies to enter the field of alcohol ether fuels.

Since it can absorb excess production capacity, it can also ease domestic energy shortages, open up new energy fields, and the production process is relatively simple. Why is the methanol industry not active?

“There are both factors of redistribution of economic interests and barriers to technology and sales terminals.” Liang Jun, Deputy General Manager of Shaanxi Xianyang Chemical Industrial Co., Ltd., Zhang Peijie, Deputy General Manager of Shaanxi Shenmu Chemical Co., Ltd., Shaanxi Yulin Natural Gas Chemical Co., Ltd. Hu Kepeng, chief economist of the company, said at the same time. They believe that, on the one hand, most methanol production companies do not possess the core technology of dedicated additives; on the other hand, although the proportion of methanol used in methanol gasoline is not small, it is very difficult to break the current fuel market pattern. After all, oil The product market and sales terminal are also absolutely controlled by the two major groups. Methanol companies do not have the initiative, and the two groups are not interested in methanol fuel.

"The immediate unfair treatment of dimethyl ether fuel in the market, methanol gasoline will also experience, is worrying." Hu Kepeng also revealed.

Deputy Secretary-General of the National Committee for Alcohol Ether Fuel and Alcohol Ether Clean Cars, Falling Li, said that methanol companies are currently facing difficulties in entering the methanol fuel sector. It is almost impossible for methanol companies to build their own sales terminals, and new vehicles using M85 high-proportion methanol gasoline have not yet been launched. "Methanol fuel is a brand-new field after all. Market promotion involves all aspects. Every link in the industry chain must be in place. It is a systematic project. Now the national standard for vehicle fuel methanol and M85 methanol gasoline has been implemented for less than a year, M15 methanol gasoline. Standards have not yet been introduced, and the policy environment is still uncertain."

"The slow progress in the promotion of methanol gasoline has unclear policies, government support is not in place, and other factors, but the existence of methanol companies, rely on ideas, ideas can not keep up." National Alcohol Ether Fuel and Alcohol Ether Cleaning Professional Committee Xi'an Test Center Prof. Liu Shengquan, the director, said bluntly: “The methanol fuel used by methanol companies is actually very simple. The methanol index of the primary product industry has actually met the national standard of “vehicle fuel methanol,” and the nature of the two is not significant, as long as it is in storage tanks. The physical mixing of special additives can produce the denatured fuel methanol, and then add the gasoline, so that different proportions of methanol gasoline such as M85 and M15 can be allocated.The investment of these devices does not exceed several million yuan, compared to other downstream products of methanol. It is really insignificant.” At present, special additives for methanol fuel have also been successfully developed by many companies.

A few companies that have joined the methanol fuel industry believe that at present, if they want to accelerate the pace of industrialization of methanol fuel, a demonstration and promotion mechanism for the industrialization of methanol fuel should be set up to close the promotion of methanol-gasoline in local areas to accumulate experience for large-scale promotion. It is understood that Yankuang Guohong Chemical Co., Ltd. began to conduct demonstration tests of M15 and M85 methanol gasoline in more than 200 private cars in the company earlier this year. The next step will be to promote them in cities such as Jining, Shandong, and the future target is 500,000 tons/year. The methanol production capacity produces methanol for vehicle fuels, and the methanol fuel is brought to the market by relying on local oil sales terminals. Pingdingshan Blue Sky Chemical Industry Co., Ltd. was designated by the China Nitrogen Fertilizer Industry Association as the first batch of pilot enterprises for the promotion of methanol fuel in February this year. It plans to build a 1 million-ton/year methanol fuel production plant within three years.