The study provides strategic views of the competitive feedstocks and the trends brought about by changing mandated regulations, socio-economic preferences and market driven scenarios. New emerging process technologies that might challenge more traditional commercialized routes are identified.

Highlights that will be included in our new "C1-C5 Basic Chemicals: Technical and Commercial Advances 1996-2005" report are:

• Up until recently, methanol plants have been constrained to about 2,000 MTPD in size, mainly due to limits in reformers and cryogenics. Today, the state-of-art is the 2,500 MTPD-Trinidad and Tobago design. This is changing and next generation will be 3-5,000 MTPD. What are the consequences to changing feedstock outlook for methanol if it is available at $76 per mt? How will this impact new MTO technology for ethylene/propylene?
  
  
• GTL is here to stay! Sasol-Chevron's Las Raffan, Qatar and Nigerian units are in construction and due onstream in 2004/5. More importantly, new syngas reformer technologies by BP/Kvearner, Lurgi, and Synetix (Johnson Matthey) are in pilot. These promise to lower the cost of manufacture by 18-23%. This, coupled with the previous statement on methanol, promise to drive cost down even further!
  
  
• New acetic acid/anhydride and acrylonitrile technologies, their status and progress.
  
  
• Direct and Indirect PO production technologies to challenge the styrene comonomer by-products utilizing the Oxirane POSM technology. Who will be the winners in this technology race: Dow/BASF, Lyondell/Arco or are there some hidden contenders?
  
  
• Do you know what Headwaters/HTI and DuPont are doing?
  
  
• Where are the renewables which are competing against chemical feedstocks and the likely outcome of current biotechnology routes?
  
  
• Will hydroxyproponic acids and esters compete with other feedstocks? The study will update you on the Iogen (Shell) story, competing against DOE/ADM in the race!