The Catalyst Review September 2024 - 3

Independent Perspective
The views expressed are those of the individual author and may not reflect those of The Catalyst Review or TCGR.
Large-Scale Methanol Production from Carbon Dioxide, Water and
Electricity
By Thomas Wirth
There are many different approaches to tackle the energy trilemma. The need to provide secure, sustainable as well as affordable
energy for industries and consumers is urgent and targets for reducing emissions are high. 'Green' hydrogen made by water
electrolysis using renewable electricity or 'blue' hydrogen by reforming natural gas with carbon dioxide capture and storage will
be an important contributor to address the energy trilemma.
As shipping of hydrogen is costly and difficult, its local direct use to reduce carbon dioxide is a highly attractive alternative.
E-methanol fits as a target. CEPSA is building of one of the largest e-methanol plants in the world in Huelva in southern Spain.
The company will establish the reaction of green hydrogen, generated by an electrolyzer, with biogenic carbon dioxide derived
from biomass. As the carbon dioxide is produced by a planned plant at a neighboring site, transport logistics are minimal and this
will allow the production of up to 300,000 tons e-methanol per year. This plant would become one of the biggest e-methanol
production sites in the world.
More than 110 million metric tons of methanol are currently being produced (2022) across the globe, most of the synthesis is using
natural gas as the primary resource. Conventional technologies typically employ copper-based catalysts in methanol synthesis.
The main use of methanol is a chemical end-use and in Chinese gasoline, but increasingly the consumption as an energy carrier
is being considered. Methanol is miscible with water and is biodegradable within days; it is a compound which will not accumulate
in the environment.
Methanol is used widely as solvent, but also as starting material for the synthesis of formaldehyde and acetic acid, which are key
ingredients for plastics, silicones, paints and many other products. Increasingly, methanol is being used to produce energy as a
fuel additive and fuel for various applications, such as alcohol to jet (A&J). The use as sustainable aviation fuel is increasing as 1.2%
blend is already mandated by the EU from 2030 onwards. Also, the use of methanol in the shipping industry is growing and its
global demand is expected to rise sharply. The first container ships are launched and it is expected that many methanol-powered
vessels will follow in the coming years contributing to a decarbonization of the maritime business transitioning away from fuel oil.
However, the energy content of methanol is only approximately half of the same weight of diesel oil, and it currently costs around
eight times more to produce methanol than conventional diesel oil. With rising demands and decreasing technology costs it is
expected that the planned e-methanol plant in Huelva in southern Spain will be competitive.
Due to the proximity of the biogenic carbon dioxide production and the generation of green hydrogen using solar electricity in a
neighboring plant, there is only a limited need for their individual storage, which, in the case of hydrogen, is costly and requires
a lot of space. The direct reaction of hydrogen and carbon dioxide to methanol will require only the storage of methanol, which
is much easier and the existing bunkering infrastructure can be adapted. Due to the large amounts of methanol already being
produced conventionally, there is an existing network and an established global logistics and supply chain which can be used for
the export of e-methanol.
It is expected that falling costs of hydrogen and the development of a scalable technology for e-methanol production will help to
reach cost parity to conventional diesel oil and biofuels. As methanol is carbon dioxide neutral, biodegradable and an excellent
fuel for combustion motors, investment in these upcoming technologies is highly encouraging.
To further increase capacities and go beyond the development stage of sustainable aviation fuels, different carbon sources such as
carbon monoxide from industrial sources will also be investigated in future. The transition of traditional petrochemical companies
such as CEPSA towards renewable energies will connect existing infrastructure with sustainable and environmentally friendly
production of chemicals and fuels such as e-methanol on a large scale.
This perspective is based on the special report 'Positive Motion: Enabling Europe's Green Hydrogen Ecosystem', produced with
CEPSA (https://gulfenergy.dragonforms.com/loading.do?omedasite=cepsareport).
Author
Thomas Wirth - Professor of Organic Chemistry, Cardiff University
Thomas Wirth is professor of organic chemistry at Cardiff University. After studying chemistry in Bonn, he
obtained his PhD and at the Technical University of Berlin. After a postdoctoral stay at Kyoto University, he
started his independent research at the University of Basel in 1994, before taking up his current position at Cardiff
University in 2000. He was invited as a visiting professor to several places. His main interests of research concern
stereoselective electrophilic reactions, oxidative transformations with hypervalent iodine reagents, mechanistic
investigations and electrochemical synthesis performed in microreactors including carbon dioxide reduction.
The Catalyst Review
September 2024
3

https://gulfenergy.dragonforms.com/loading.do?omedasite=cepsareport

The Catalyst Review September 2024

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