Louisiana dominates methanol production in the United States, but coal country lawmaker Sen. Joe Manchin is eager to get West Virginia in on the action. A Democrat often resistant to legislative agendas that address climate change action, Manchin celebrated the opening of a new methanol plant in his home state.
Manchin summoned the ghost of the great West Virginia procurer Robert Byrd while saying he is “looking forward to seeing the opportunities this plant brings to our state!”
This morning, I celebrated the opening of US Methanol’s new Liberty One plant in Institute. This state-of-the-art facility is US Methanol’s first methanol production plant in WV, and I look forward to seeing the opportunities this plant brings to our state! pic.twitter.com/bKDnsp4h5N
— Senator Joe Manchin (@Sen_JoeManchin) April 24, 2023
Methanol is a cleaner-burning fuel than gasoline or diesel as it produces fewer emissions of some pollutants, such as particulate matter and sulfur dioxide. (When methanol is burned as a fuel, however, it does produce carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas.)
The production synergy with West Virginia includes the fact that coal is one of methanol’s top feedstocks. West Virginia is the nation’s second-largest U.S. coal producer after Wyoming.
The new plant is quite the exercise in patriotic branding: It’s called Liberty One and its owner is U.S. Methanol — practically red, white and blue in nomenclature — though it is part of an international business conglomerate owned by a Czech billionaire named Karel Komarek, founder and CEO of KKCG. (Komarek is a dominant methanol man in Louisiana, too.)
Komarek told Forbes International in 2016:
“Methanol is a very suitable addition to KKCG’S product portfolio. It will diversify our exposure in this volatile energy price environment,” says Komarek, whose already diverse investment portfolio includes crude oil and natural gas exploration and production, lottery and gaming, tourism and real estate. “What I like about methanol production is that it is a nice niche product you can easily scale.”
Forbes international
The Methanol Institute, a trade organization writes: “Methanol (CH3OH) is water-soluble and readily biodegradable, comprising four parts hydrogen, one part oxygen, and one part carbon, and is the simplest member of a group of organic chemicals called alcohols. Methanol is a clean-burning, biodegradable fuel. Increasingly, methanol’s environmental and economic advantages make it an attractive alternative fuel for powering vehicles and ships, cooking food, and heating homes.”
Methanol, also known as wood alcohol, is the simplest alcohol. It is a clear, colorless, flammable liquid with a strong odor. It’s a versatile chemical that is used in a variety of products, including:
- Gasoline
- Antifreeze
- Paint thinners
- Solvents
- Fuel cells
- Methanol is also used in the production of other chemicals, such as formaldehyde and acetic acid.