Methanol consumptions for

World methanol consumption for 1992 is shown in Figure 10 (27). The principal use of methanol has traditionally been in the production of formaldehyde [50-00-0] where typically around 40% of the world methanol market is consumed. In the United States, an increasing role for methanol has been found in the oxygenated fuels market from the use of MTBE. Another significant use of methanol is in the production of acetic acid other uses include the production of solvents and chemical intermediates. 

Economics The methanol consumption for DME production is approximately 1.4 ton-methanol per ton-DME. 

The major use of methanol as an antifreeze is at present in desiccant-antifreeze applications for natural processing [7578], The methanol-containing desiccant-antifreeze is used in both -collecting areas and natural pipelines. The amount of methanol used in this application depends on temperatures and climatic conditions. Methanol consumption for this use was about 202217 thousand t for North America in 1990 [75]. The future consumption for methanol in this area will depend essentialfy on the development of new natural reserves and gas-processing plants. Usually, the stream is countercurrently contacted with the liquid desiccant-antifreeze agent in a bubble tower to remove water from the gas and to vaporize some desiccant into the to prevent subsequent solid formation at low temperatures [78]. 

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