Economic Analysis of Multimodal Transport for CH₃OH in China

A significant geographical mismatch exists between CH₃OH production sites and demand centers in China, resulting in large-scale cross-regional transportation from west to east and north to south. Currently, CH₃OH is predominantly transported by road, which incurs substantial economic and carbon emission burdens. Based on a detailed analysis of the cost structure of CH₃OH transport via road, rail, waterway, and pipeline, this study estimates the transport costs associated with each of the four modes. In response to the logistical challenges, a multimodal transport solution featuring terminal-side aggregation is proposed, considering the dispersed and small-scale nature of CH₃OH supply and demand. The economic analysis demonstrates that the proposed multimodal approach is feasible. To ensure effective implementation, it is essential to accelerate the development of CH₃OH intermodal loading and unloading infrastructure and to achieve technological breakthroughs in sequential pipeline transport of CH₃OH.