Abstract
Synthesis of methanol from recirculated CO2 and H2 produced by water electrolysis allows sustainable production of fuels and chemical storage of energy. Production of renewable methanol has, however, not achieved commercial breakthrough, and novel methods to improve economic feasibility are needed. One possibility is to alter the reaction route to methanol using catalytic alcoholic solvents, which makes the process possible at lower reaction temperatures. To estimate the techno-economic potential of this approach, the feasibilities of the conventional gas-phase process and an alternative liquid-phase process employing 2-butanol or 1-butanol solvents were compared by means of flowsheet modelling and economic analysis. As a result, it was found that despite improved methanol yield, the presence of solvent adds complexity to the process and increases separation costs due to the high volatility of the alcohols and formation of azeotropes. Hydrogen, produced from wind electricity, was the major cost in all processes. The higher cost of the present, non-optimized liquid-phase process is largely explained by the heat required in separation. If this heat could be provided by heat integration, the resulting production costs approach the costs of the gas-phase process. It is concluded that the novel reaction route provides promising possibilities, but new breakthroughs in process synthesis, integration, optimization, and catalysis are needed before the alcoholic solvent approach surpasses the traditional gas-phase process.
Highlights
The synthesis of liquid fuels from hydrogen using captured CO2 as the carbon source would allow sustainable fuel production with the potential to reduce CO2 emissions in the energy and transportation sectors [1], while simultaneously providing an option for the chemical storage of intermittent renewable electricity [2]
Most methanol comes from the catalytic conversion of synthesis gas that is usually generated by steam reforming of natural gas [8]
The various methanol synthesis processes were compared in terms of the mass balances, energy and electricity consumption, and the overall methanol production cost
Summary
The synthesis of liquid fuels from hydrogen using captured CO2 as the carbon source would allow sustainable fuel production with the potential to reduce CO2 emissions in the energy and transportation sectors [1], while simultaneously providing an option for the chemical storage of intermittent renewable electricity [2]. Such an approach could potentially make a significant contribution to decarbonization of the energy system [3]. Methanol provides an example of such a liquid energy carrier [4] Methanol is both an important industrial chemical and a useful multi-purpose fuel [5]. The syngas, a mixture of hydrogen, CO, and CO2 , is converted into methanol on copper and zinc oxide (Cu/ZnO)-based catalysts at temperatures of 200–300 ◦ C and pressures of 50–100 bar
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