The_Catalyst_Review_November_2023 - 6

SPECIAL FEATURE
'Current' Events
Heeding Electrolysis Activities: A Techno-economic Analysis
of the State-of-the-Art
PART II: Methanol, Ethanol, Applications and Analysis
Frits M. Dautzenberg, Julius Dautzenberg and Connor A. Sokolowski
Editor's Note: Part One of this article, in October's edition, examines the latest in electrolysis technology. This
continuation will take us through specific applications and provide an overall summary of the sector.
5.0. Advanced Technologies for Methanol
In this section, the authors will first discuss recent developments using recovered CO2
and H2
As reference, the natural gas-based methanol production through the
state-of-the-art SMR/ATR route is shown in Figure 16. To produce
methanol at 2500 MTPD, one needs 104.2 kiloton of hydrogen
and 1145.9 kiloton of CO2
. We will analyze two new schemes, both
using captured CO2 and H2 from electrolysis. Scheme 1 is shown in
Figure 17, applying two-stage RWGS. The latter unit operation can
be avoided in Scheme 2 using combined electrolysis of water and
captured CO2
scheme 2 is more capital and energy intensive
compared to methanol production, using twostage
RWGS technology. Two-stage RWGS
has been proposed (see Wang et al, 2022)
and Topsoe has redesigned their system
(Christensen et al, 2021) also using two-stage
RWGS reactors for methanol production.
Looking at the future, the authors identified
three scenarios for assessing process
economics. Scenario A1 is based on PEM
electrolysis and applies scheme 1. Scenario
B1 is based on SOEC electrolysis and applies
scheme 1. Scenario B2 is based on SOEC and
applies scheme 2. Details of the economics
of the three scenarios are presented in Figure
19. According to the economics of scenario
A1, one needs an investment of US$856.5
million and results in a required sales price of
$534.4 per ton of methanol. If the methanol
is produced according to scenario B1, the
investment will decrease to US$ 732.6
million which will allow a required sales price
of $550.6. According to the economics of
scenario B2, one needs an investment of
US$638.5 million, which will allow a required
sales price of $503.0 per ton of methanol.
as shown in Figure 18. It has been demonstrated that
and H2
using electrolysis to produce 'green'
methanol. In addition, we will analyze advanced coal technology that has been proposed to make essentially 'green' methanol.
5.1. Methanol by Electrolysis from CO2
Figure 16. Conventional SMR/ATR methanol process scheme based on T.D.Blumberg,
(2018) *.
Figure 17. Two Scenarios to make 'green' methanol.
*Carl L. Yaws - Chemical Properties Handbook
(1999) ** P. Kaizer et al., Chem. Ing. Tech. (2013),
85, Vol. 4, 489-490
This data supports the conclusion that scenario B1 (scheme 1-SOEC-RWGS) is the most attractive " green " methanol option.
Current and future methanol production are compared in Figure 20. It is not clear yet what the required sales price of SMR/ATM
technology will be by 2050. We tentatively concluded that by 2050 the natural gas-based methanol production route will probably be less
attractive than " green " methanol production based on electrolysis and captured CO2
.
6
The Catalyst Review
November 2023

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