27 technologies to produce lower carbon fuels from “second chance carbon” — and its practicioners. Who’s doing what, where, when, why and how?

Fuels produced from CO2 

The hydrogen used in their production must be fossil hydrogen. However most companies developing these routes are targeting fuels produced from CO2 and renewable hydrogen, tproduce a RFNBO. 

Methanol by catalytic methanol synthesis 

CO2 can react with hydrogen over a catalyst tproduce methanol. Case study companies: 

Carbon Recycling International (TRL7).
Plant in Iceland uses(renewable) grid electricity for electrolysist convert waste CO2 from a local geothermal plant into 4000 t/year methanol via catalytic synthesis. Developing 40,000 t/year commercial scale projects in Europe & Asia using grid electricity. H2020 FreSMe project in Sweden aims tdemonstrate the production of methanol via catalytic synthesis from CO2 separated from steel mill off-gases and H2 from electrolysis. Use of fossil electricity tproduce the hydrogen would bring the route within scope of this study.  Air Fuel Synthesis were pursuing this route but company now dissolved.

Bse Engineering (TRL 6).
Planning tbuild small-scale units that are tbe installed near renewable electricity generators tuse excess electricity tproduce hydrogen in discontinuous electrolysis. Catalytic methanol synthesis using catalysts supplied by BASF24 Bse Engineering recently competed a demonstration project funded by the German Ministry for Education and Research where different catalysts were tested.

BioMCN
BioMCN react CO2 with excess hydrogen produced in the conventional methane tmethanol production process tproduce additional methanol. 

Diesel by catalytic synthesis 

Reaction of CO2 with hydrogen over a catalyst can produce hydrocarbons, which can be refined inta diesel fuel. 

Case study examples: 

Sunfire: (TRL 6).

Pilot plant in partnership with Audi in Germany. Producing small quantities of liquid hydrocarbon (which is refined tdiesel) via catalytic synthesis of H2 that is produced by high temperature electrolysis, and CO2 obtained from a biogas plant. Alsknown as power tliquids. 

Carbon Engineering: (TRL 5-6).

Capture CO2 from the air and react it with hydrogen tgenerate first syngas and then hydrocarbons, with a focus on diesel and jet fuel. Currently aiming tproduce RFNBfuel by using renewable electricity tproduce hydrogen via electrolysis. Use of non-renewable electricity would bring it within scope of this study  Claim that when scaled up this process can produce fuels for less than $1/L26 

SNG by catalytic synthesis 

Reaction of CO2 with hydrogen over a catalyst can produce SNG. 

Case study companies: 

Hitachi Zosen Inova Etogas GmbH (TRL 6-7). 

Developed Audi e-gas in collaboration with Audi in Germany, demonstration plant went online 2013, currently delivering 300 m3/hour SNG to the gas grid.

Another SNG pilot plant online at HBFZ research centre in Germany, delivering  4 m3/hour to the gas grid

SNG by biological synthesis (microbial methanation) 

Microorganisms can process CO2 and hydrogen intmethane in a process called microbial methanation. 

Case study companies: 

Viessman Group and Audi (TRL 5-6). 

Developed SNG production via biological/microbial methanation, first sizeable pilot plant of its kind started injecting 15-55 m3/hour SNG in the gas grid in Germany in 2015. Smaller research plant went online in 2012 with 5 m3/hour