DOHA: The rapidly growing importance of methanol for the production of thousands of goods that people use on a daily basis will be among the main focus of discussion by some of the world’s foremost experts during the first-ever Middle East Methanol Forum. The Forum will be held on November 26, 2014 in Doha..
Being a key component of hundreds of chemicals, methanol is most often converted into formaldehyde, acetic acid and olefins, which are all basic chemical building blocks for a number of common products. Some of these products include: plastics, synthetic fibers, paints, resins, magnetic film, safety glass laminate, adhesives, solvents, carpeting, insulation, refrigerants, windshield washer fluid, particle board, pigments, and dyes, in addition to thousands of other products.
Organised by Qatar Fuel Additives Company Ltd (Qafac), the Forum will be held under the patronage of H E Dr Mohammed bin Saleh Al Sada, Minister of Energy and Industry, and in the presence of Hamad Rashid Al Mohannadi, Chairman, Qafac.
The forum’s main theme, “Miracle Energy on Hand”, reflects the other alternative applications of methanol such as transportation fuel, wastewater denitrification, fuel cell hydrogen carrier, biodiesel transesterification, and electricity generation. More recently, further research and development have begun for methanol’s use as a marine fuel.
Among the topics to be discussed at the Forum include: “Effective Monetisation of Natural Gas Assets”, “Making the Case for Oxygenates in the GCC” (panel discussion), “Market Perspectives: The China Question”, “Global Ambitions: The Vision to Expand Qatar’s Chemical and Petrochemical Industry Worldwide”, “Methanol Fuel Cells: Powering the World’s Future Energy Needs”, and “Steering a Shipping Revolution: Methanol as a Marine Fuel”. There will also be several question-and-answer segments for participants.
The speakers at the gforum include Tammy Klein, Senior Vice-President, Downstream Research, Hart Energy, US; Awadh Hassan Al Shanfari, Chief Executive Officer, Salalah Methanol Company LLC, Oman; Ben Iosefa, Vice Chairman, Methanol Institute Board of Directors and Vice President, Global Market Development & Stakeholder Relations, Methanex Corporation, Canada; . Khai Zhao, Deputy Director, Academic Board Office of the Center for Global New Energy Strategy Studies and China Association of Alcohol & Ether Clean Fuel and Automobiles, China; and Abdulrahman Ali Al Abdulla, Chief Executive Officer, Muntajat, Qatar.
The Peninsula
