SOCAR discloses volume of methanol production
By Mirsaid Ibrahimzade
Methanol, also known as methyl alcohol, is a chemical. Methanol acquired the name ‘wood alcohol’ because it was once produced chiefly by the destructive distillation of wood. Today, it is used as a feedstock to produce adhesives, foams, plywood subfloors, solvents, etc.
Methanol can also be used on its own as a vehicle fuel or blended directly into gasoline to produce a high-octane, efficient fuel with lower emissions than conventional gasoline. It is also a key component in biodiesel, a renewable fuel that can be used in place of, or blended with, conventional diesel fuel.
The only methanol plant in the Caucasus, SOCAR Methanol plant, located in the Garadagh district of Baku, has been operating since 2013.
Since 2015, SOCAR Metanol plant has produced more than 710,000 tons of methanol, Azerbaijan state oil company SOCAR said in a message.
Earlier, SOCAR reported that by the end of the year, it is planned to produce 350,000 tons of methanol at the plant.
The company stated that about 230,000 tons were produced last year and, according to forecasts, these figures will grow every year.
Turkey, Western Europe and the Mediterranean countries are the major customers of the plant’s methanol.
Presently, methanol is exported to the West through Georgia’s Kulevi Oil Terminal, the storage capacity of which is 20,000 cubic meters of methanol, and from the Baku Port through the Caspian Sea to Kazakhstan as well as to other international markets.
SOCAR Methanol plant also plans to increase exports through the Caspian Sea via the Volga-Don Canal in future.
The plant’s location is a key advantage in the effective transportation of the product to international markets. It also satisfies the growing demand of the domestic market.
In addition, the plant has already begun manufacturing end consumer products, including analytical methanol used in laboratories as a chemical reagent.
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Mirsaid Ibrahimzade is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @MirsaidIbrahim1
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