Dimethyl ether market to hit 11,400 kilo tons by then end of 2023

The dimethyl ether (DME) market has been forecast to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.9% over the next decade, hitting a volume total of 6,500 kilo tons by 2018, and then pushing forward to 11,400 kilo tons by then end of 2023.

According to a new report titled 'Dimethyl Ether (DME) Market: Global Trends & Forecast to 2018 & 2023,' published on companiesandmarkets.com, China is the world's largest consumer of DME with the highest production capacity around the globe.

China consumed more than 90% of global DME demand in 2012, and is estimated to grow at a CAGR of approximately 10.6% from 2013 to 2023. The country is at the front to commercialise the use of DME for blending it with LPG, so as to reduce its reliance on LPG imports.

The uses of DME vary by regions. In general, it is used for blending in liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in a pre-defined proportion to improve its burning properties and also to reduce the deficit of LPG in various countries. It is also used as an aerosol propellant, as an acetylene substitute for welding & brazing applications and as a precursor to other chemical compounds.

Dimethyl ether (DME) is an organic compound with molecular formulae CH3OCH3 and a clean burning hydrocarbon fuel with no carbon-carbon bond. It is the simplest ether and is a gas in normal state. It is colorless and non poisonous if inhaled by humans.

DME is commercially manufactured by first converting coal or natural gas to syn gas, which is converted to methanol in presence of a catalyst. Methanol is then dehydrated to form DME as an end product. A significant portion of DME is also manufactured by simply dehydrating marketed methanol in order to avoid huge plant establishment cost.

Key players currently dominating the dimethyl ether market include China Energy Ltd (Singapore), ENN Group Company Ltd (China) or XinAo Group, Zagros Petrochemical Company (Iran), Methanex Corp (Canada), Korea Gas Corp (South Korea), Guanghui Energy Co. Ltd (China), and Grillo-Werke AG (Germany) etc.

For more information on the dimethyl ether market, see the latest research: Dimethyl Ether Market

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