Advances in Methanol Production and Utilization

Dear Colleagues,

Alternative and renewable energy sources have an important role to satisfy the increasing energy and chemicals demand, ensuring a lower environmental impact. Among these alternative energy sources, biodiesel, methanol and methane are good examples, that could be obtained from renewable sources.

Methanol is an important primary raw material for the energy and chemical industries, due to its wide applications ranging from energy uses (e.g., as a fuel by itself, or to be blended with gasoline) to chemical uses (e.g., as a solvent, or to be converted to formaldehyde, acetic acid, methyl methacrylate, dimethyl terephthalate, methylamines, chloromethanes, dimethyl carbonate and methyl tertiary butyl ether, dimethyl ether, etc.). It can also be transformed to ethylene and propylene via methanol-to-olefin processes.

Many others methanol utilization routes might be investigated and proposed due to the versatility of this compound. The conventional raw material for methanol production is the syngas, obtained by the steam reforming or partial oxidation of natural gas or by biomass gasification. However, methanol can be produced also by carbon dioxide hydrogenation. Methanol synthesis is a well-consolidated technology, but important improvements concerning new catalysts, new process configurations, new reactors, and new ideas are urgently required.

This Special Issue, entitled “Advances in Methanol Production and Utilization” for the Applied Science, wants to analyze progress in methanol production and utilization. It is my pleasure to invite you to submit original reviews, experimental and modelling researches and case studies related to methanol production and use.

Dr. Grazia Leonzio
Guest Editor

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