nomic inducement to the methanoJ buyer. Sales over a long period seem to support this view. Cost of methanol to the motorist is still $1.50 per gallon, or $1.45 less than ethylene glycol type. Recently the price spread between the two was greater; last year it w a s $3.75 against $1.50. When t h e nonvolatile sold at $2.75 a n d $2.65, packaged methanol with additives carried a price tag of $1.00 a gallon.
CHdhgjntj Pattern of Antifreeze-Gqiisumpfiph MILLIONS OF GALLONS
60|
aragnng
« S
30 £
Methanol Promotion Stresses Its Advantages over Ethanol
Some sellers of methanol antifreeze appear to place emphasis upon its ad vantages over denatured ethanol rather than make comparisons with ethylene 1939 '40 41 '42 '43 4 4 '45 '46 '47 '48 '49 '50 '51 '52 '53 glycol. It is considerably cheaper, of course, but this advantage is offset bySOURCE: STANFORD RESEARCH INSTITUTE! CHEMICALS ENGINEERING NEWS its lack of permanence and t h e neces( 1 9 5 3 - T R A D E ESTIMATE) sity of replenishment. Producers would rather point out that three gallons of methanol will d o t h e same worl as four gallons of ethyl alcohol. But it is volatile and can affect auto lacquers. Industry is trying to boost the 1.8 gallon per car Consumers' preference, they contend, average by discouraging this practice on part of motorists also is dictated by performance considerations and its advantage in this reRatio of 55 to 4 5 in favor of ethylene glycol might spect over other volatile radiator antifreeze mixtures. T h e growth of methbe altered as methanol shows gains in national market anol over denatured alcohol, said R. E . Daley of Carbide and Carbon ChemiA NTIFREEZE, t h e chemical industry's the terms "standard" for methanol, and cals, another Union Carbide division **** most important consumer product, "premium" for ethylene glycol. in a recent talk before the Chemical this year will b e poured into automoSpecialties Manufacturers Association, M a r k e t Trends Favor Glycol 55 t o 45 bile radiators to t h e extent of at least has resulted from its increased availThe ratio of ethylene glycol and ability, its higher efficiency per gallon, 95 million gallons. This total, for t h e calendar year, will take in t h e end of methanol in total antifreeze consump- and its lack of odor. one season and the beginning of an- tion in recent years has been 55 t o 45, Du Pont does not stress methanol's other; in any event it m a y b e t h e sec- in favor of glycol, as reported by a. De- superiority over ethanol. Its basic conond largest on record. Two leading rr.'-.^nent of Commerce study issued in cept is that methanol a n d ethylene marketers say that 1954 sales may pass October 1951. T h e ethylene gilycol glycol should b e sold on their merits 100 million gallons, a n e w peacetime marketers have counted on gettimg at Methanol is economical, they point out, least that 5 5 % of t h e market regardrecord. and four quarts of it will do t h e work These 95 million gallons, we learn less of volume. of five quarts of permanent type antiBut die ratio is now changing slightly freeze. T h e undiluted methanol canfrom William Adamson of Commercial Solvents, will be equal to a freight train in favor of methanol; at least tttat is not corrode engine parts and, when 250 miles long, every b o x car packed the way they find things in the Du Pont used with inhibitors, rust is kept in suswith cans of ethylene glycol or meth- organization which sells both types. It pension in t h e coolant. anol, a n d containing those very essen- is beginning to look more like 53%» Methanol's use as a n antifreeze rose glycol a n d 47% methanol. Other large tial rust inhibitors. from around 6 million gallons in 1934 The motorist h a d a w i d e variety of producers and marketing companies do to more than 21 million in 1941. W h e n antifreezes to choose from a few years not discern the change, and National it was returned to civilian use after ago, including t h e old standby dena- Carbon, which markets Union Carbide's 1945, consumption began climbing tured ethanol. Ethyl alcohol antifreeze Prestone ethylene glycol brand, still again and production of antifreeze has vanished along w i t h t h e starting thinks that t h e ratio is 55 to 4£> and reached a peak of 45.4 million gallons hand crank. Today t h e market has increasing in favor of glycol. in 1951. A shift also h a d taken place shaken down to two types—ethylene For one thing, glycol producers during the forties in methanol's r a w glycol and methanol. "Permanent" or point out, t h e price spread betrween material base, from coal to methane. "nonpermanent," as t h e service station glycol a n d methanol has been naorrow- This is alluded to as a significant techattendant calls them, a n d t h e industry ing, a development which favors the nological development. genuinely hates both terms. nonvolatile antifreeze. Ethylenes glyIt is trying to induce its distributors col, packaged with additives, soLd for Restrictions Victimize and retail suppliers as well as t h e p u b - $3.75 p e r gallon at retail last year. Ethanol Consumption lic to say "volatile" o r ' l o w boiling Today it is $2.95. point" type for methanol, a n d "nonThis view is not shared by others Methanol's many advantages as volatile" or "high-boiling point" type who manufacture and sell both "types. an antifreeze are not disputed b u t recfor glycol. In this it is not succeed- The $1.45 spread between the trwo is ognition must also b e given to those ing too well. D u Pont prefers to use regarded in these quarters as art eco- held in this field b y ethyl alcohol.
Antifreeze: Re-use a Major Problem
4544
CHEMICAL
AND
ENGINEERING
NEWS
Daley says that ethanol was the most important antifreeze throughout the thirties, and that it hit a consumption high mark of 5 0 million gallons in one year before the decline. But like other industrial ethyl alcohol, antifreeze ethanol fell victim to regulations which did not affect other antifreeze types. Even long after prohibition, political fear of the antialcohol groups w a s so great that antifreeze based on ethanol h a d to b e loaded with the most toxic a n d evil-smelling compounds m a n or nature ever devised. A car owner had to hold his nose when adding this bouq u e t to his engine coolant. I n addition, taxation on this nondrinkable mess was exorbitant. Things got better, but official skulduggery scored a n undisputed victory and the antifreeze buyer turned to other materials. Several M a i n Factors Figure in Consumption
There are five different considerations which figure prominently each year in the volume of antifreeze consumed in this country: Motor vehicle registrations Temperatures Price Brand appeal Re-use by consumer Auto, truck, and bus registrations are obviously the most important. T . H. Keating, vice president of General Motors, estimated last month t h a t total registrations in the United States a t the close of this year will be 54,954,000. This total probably gives effect to the 1954 production of between 5,250,000 and 5,350,000 new vehicles, third best year in the industry's history, as well as to old cars scrapped. As to temperatures, car owners naturally scurry to the nearest service station for antifreeze when the thermometer starts sliding downward i n t o the thirties and twenties. When t h e y do is important, so is the severity of the cold spell. If the first blast of early winter is shivery enough, stocks of famous brands may be cleaned o u t in a few days. It is then u p to distributors and jobbers to replenish the retail outlets—if possible. They probably can now, b u t supply never caught u p with demand during the period 1942 to 1952. M a r k e t i n g Areas V a r y w i t h Climate and Temperature
T h e climate and temperature vary considerably in the United States, but to t h e maker and distributor of antifreeze most of the nation is their market. T h e exceptions are parts of California, Florida, and the Gulf Coast. All of the remainder is in what they t e r m the "Frost Belt." And that is mighty uncertain. VOLUME
3 2.
NO.
46
•
Official forecasts are always helpful for the near term, not usually as reliable for the longer term. I n this business t h e marketer has to be extremely realistic. Don't bring to his attention a news item predicting a rugged winter because of the bands on the woolly b e a r caterpillar. H e considers the woolly bear and t h e ground hog scientifically baseless methods of forecasting. fee-use of Antifreeze is Big Problem T o d a y
A^k almost anyone in the business what the big problem is today and he will seply, "re-use." Right now large companies are conducting a campaign through the press, radio, and television, aimed at discouraging the practice. If they succeed and they well may, it m a y add a good-sized gallonage to annual sales. T h e p e r car consumption of antifreeze each year has been regarded in the industry as approximately 2 gallons. This year such large producing factors as Jefferson Chemical, which supplies the ethylene glycol sold by The Texas Co., under the trade designation P-T, are disposed to make t h e per car consumption average 1.8 gallons. The practice of extending t h e use of nonvolatile antifreeze for another year, and of keeping it in the radiator through the warm months, might explain the drop in t h e average. D o w Chemical is one of the manufacturers endeavoring t o show the car owner a n d the service stations that the practice is bad. It is doing this through direct mail, consumer a n d trade publications, and television. P r o p y l e n e Approaches Ethylene Glycol in Efficiency
T w o other materials which have been utilized to a minor extent i n radiator antifreeze are propylene glycol and isopropyl alcohol. Although both have certain disadvantages, propylene glycol has found use in mixtures with ethylene glycol while isopropyl alcohol was combined, u p to 1948, with methanol. From around a million gallons in 1947, propylene glycol use i n antifreeze has increased to between 3.5 and 4 million gallons annually. I t was brought out at the recent CSMA meeting that t h e chief disadvantage of propylene glycol as an antifreeze is its high molecular weight as compared with ethylene glycol. Its specific gravity (1.036) is so close to t h a t of water that it is difficult t o measu r e outside of the laboratory. Neither t h e car owner nor the service station can determine the degree of protection. Still, the efficiency of propylene glycol is said t o b e very close to ethylene glycol.
NOVEMBER
15,
1954
Isopropyl alcohol consumption as antifreeze ran b e t w e e n 1.5 and 2 million gallons a year during t h e prewar period, reached t h e 5-rniUion-gallon level during 1944 to 1947, according to data supplied by Petroleum Processing and Stanford Research Institute. It dropped to 2 million gallons in 1948, then disappeared from the scene. Costs are said to be a factor. Ispropyl also compares less favorably in efficiency with other antifreezes. Buyer A p a t h y T o w a r d Arguments Against Re-use
Buyers are strangely apathetic to arguments against the re-use of antifreeze for a second season, feeling probably that it is just sales talk designed to increase consumption. T h e glycol or methanol may remain in the cooling system b u t t h e inhibitors have a habit of disappearing. W h e n that occurs then all kinds of trouble can develop, and attempts to replenish the inhibitor compounds on part of the car owner only unbalance the solution. Papers before Society of Automotive Engineers by gasoline marketers indicate that antifreeze solutions allowed to remain in the cooling system in t h e summer months can increase the octane requirements of t h e fuel by as m u c h as 4.5 to 6 points. Private Label Brands Increasing on M a r k e t
One of the important recent changes in antifreeze marketing is t h e growth of private label brands, or antifreeze produced and packaged for companies outside of the chemical industry. DowChemical believes that t h e trend is distinctly in t h a t direction. Although it is a major producer of ethylene glycol at three plants (Midland, Mich., Freeport, Tex., and Sarnia, Ont.) Dow does not now package or sell antifreeze under its own label. Instead it produces and packages under specifications of its customers in t h e oil and automobile fields. Olin Mathieson Chemical stepped u p its participation in antifreeze considerably this year by acquiring from U. S. Industrial Chemicals the latter's business in t w o famous brands: Super Pyro (methanol) a n d U.S.I. Permanent (ethylene glycol). Mathieson had formerly supplied the methanol and glycol to U.S.I. In addition, Olin Mathieson acquired the use of two U.S.I, canning plants, plus packaging units in Chicago and Rochester obtained in its acquisition of the Puritan Co. This upsurge in private label brands together with more than ample producing facilities for methanol and ethylene glycol point rather convincingly to one thing—shortages of antifreeze are a thing of the past. 4545
