Flexible and Sustainable Methanol Production Including Option with Green Hydrogen

Abstract

Abstract The reduction of CO2 footprint, the valorisation of different carbon containing sources (stranded gas, biomass, plastic waste, high carbon-containing streams released by plants etc.) as well as the usage of renewable electricity are of increasing interest, especially in relation to global warming and the limitation of carbon containing natural resources. In this context, methanol is a key molecule; which can satisfy both environmental requirements and economic constraints; for energy storage, for clean fuels and as a building block for producing high value chemicals. The utilization of hydrogen produced from electrolysis using renewable energy directly, the use of unconventional feedstock (CO2, off129-gases etc.) with the changing of gas compositions and a higher focus on smaller units for methanol production are challenging and not only from an economical point of view but also regarding the catalyst degradation, the heat management, the by-product formation and the integration in an existing industrial complex. Therefore, the innovation philosophy has not only focused on finding a solution for the methanol synthesis loop but for the global process via new types of equipment (reactor, distillation, heat exchanger etc.), process intensification (layer management, intermediate product separation etc.), and smaller footprint (smaller equipment, new arrangement etc.) to optimize the CAPEX and OPEX. In this contribution, an update of R&D methanol pilots is provided with some highlights on recent developments of the multistage reactor. These include the main pilot’s features and capability, the campaign for validation of different scenarios i.e operating conditions, different design, model validation, by-product formation, dynamics, etc which specifically aims for off129-gas and CO2 rich gases valorisation from the steel industry. The availability of the conventional pilot and the flexibility of the new developed methanol pilot at Air Liquide Innovation Campus Frankfurt paves a way for a physical and digital connection with advanced electrolysis pilots using renewable energy from the grid for H2 production and consequently to demonstrate a complete flexible and sustainable concept from power to X (i.e Fuel).