Dimethyl ether
Also called: DME · Topic: Energy Resources of India: Conventional and Non-conventional · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Dimethyl ether (DME) is a clean-burning fuel. It is a gas at room temperature. Under mild pressure it turns into a liquid and can be stored like LPG (cooking gas). It is made from methanol, a simple alcohol. It can also be made straight from syngas (synthesis gas), a mix of carbon monoxide and hydrogen that comes from coal gasification. Coal gasification means partly burning coal so that it turns into gas instead of burning fully. DME matters because it can be blended with LPG, and India imports much of its LPG. So DME made from India's own coal or lignite supports energy security.
Example
Under the ₹37,500 crore Scheme for Promotion of Surface Coal/Lignite Gasification Projects (approved by the Union Cabinet on 13 May 2026 and run by the Ministry of Coal), NTPC Limited applied to make methanol and DME from coal. This links DME to the national target of 100 million tonnes of coal gasification by 2030.
Don't confuse with
- Methanol: Methanol is a liquid alcohol and a chemical building block. It is the raw material for DME, but it is not the same fuel. DME is the gas made from it.
- Coal-bed methane: Coal-bed methane is natural gas taken straight out of coal seams. DME is made in a factory from syngas or methanol.