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On an industrial scale, methanol is predominantly produced from natural gas by reforming the gas with steam and then converting and distilling the resulting synthesized gas mixture to create pure methanol. The result is a clear, liquid, organic chemical that is water soluble and readily biodegradable.

Methanol is used as a feedstock to produce chemicals such as acetic acid and formaldehyde, which in turn are used in products like adhesives, foams, plywood subfloors, solvents and windshield washer fluid.

To test for the presence of methanol, you can apply sodium dichromate to a sample of the solution. To do so, mix 8 mL of a sodium dichromate solution with 4 mL of sulfuric acid. Swirl gently to mix, then add 10 drops of the mixed solution to a test tube or other small container containing the alcohol.

Since the turn of the century, while methanol demand has broadly stagnated in most regions of the world, it has grown at a fast pace in Northeast Asia. Fast-rising fuel demand in China, as well as the development of unconventional chemical production plants (MTO/MTP) have primarily driven methanol consumption in Northeast Asia.

 The size-able development of global methanol production has created an opportunity for China to diversify away from conventional naphtha cracking to produce olefins. Methanol demand for fuel applications has recently slowed, primarily because of decreasing demand for fuel applications, but new developments within the chemical industry have filled the gap. Global consumption of methanol is projected to continue to increase during 2019–24.