The global methanol market size is estimated to grow from USD 24.0 billion in 2020 to USD 26.6 billion by 2025, at a CAGR of 5.5% during the forecast period. The market is projected to witness decent growth in the near future, owing to the wide application in various end-use industries of methanol ranging from automotive to the pharmaceutical industry. Increasing demand from APAC will further drive the growth of the global methanol market.
Automotive is the largest market of methanol, with a 24.6% share, globally. Alcohol-based fuels have been used in automotive applications, for many years. Methanol can be used directly in internal combustion engines of vehicles and aircraft, showing similar efficiency to diesel engines. Earlier, methanol was used as an anti-freezing agent in a car’s cooling system, but then it has been replaced with more effective alternatives, such as propylene or ethylene glycol. However, it is still popular as a windshield water fuel. Methanol is a desirable choice as a transportation fuel due to its efficient combustion, ease of distribution, and wide availability worldwide.
Methanol is used in the large-scale production of petrochemicals. The growth in petrochemical demand in APAC is driving the methanol market. The use of petrochemicals in end-use industries such as automotive and construction is the main driving force for the methanol market. In the petrochemical industry, organic chemicals with the largest production volume are methanol, ethylene, propylene, butadiene, benzene, toluene, and xylenes. Ethylene, propylene, and butadiene, along with butylene, are collectively called olefins. Methanol is a forerunner to a variety of chemical products and is generally referred to as primary petrochemical.
Celanese Corporation (Texas), BASF SE (Germany), Methanex Corporation (Canada), SABIC (Saudi Arabia), PETRONAS (Malaysia), Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company (Japan), and Mitsui & Co., Ltd. (Japan) among others are the leading methanol manufacturers, globally. These companies adopted expansion, joint venture, and merger & acquisition as their key growth strategies between 2016 and 2020 to earn a competitive advantage in the methanol market.
