German research consortium demo containerized green methanol production

In Germany, E4MeWi research association is currently demonstrating how effectively green methanol can be produced in the future in a container plant at the Bitterfeld-Wolfen Chemical Park. Methanol is regarded as a key technology for defossilizing shipping and aviation and also for freeing the chemical industry from its dependence on crude oil. The project compares two different promising process approaches in a container plant: INERATEC is starting with the established heterogeneous-catalyzed direct synthesis of e-methanol from green hydrogen and carbon dioxide (CO2). CreativeQuantum and the Leibniz Institute for Catalysis (LIKAT) are using a comparatively new, homogeneously catalyzed process. The synthesis gas required for this is to come from a new type of co-electrolysis developed by the Ruhr University Bochum. The homogeneously catalyzed process works at significantly lower temperatures and pressures. The project has been funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy with a total of around two million euros since November 1, 2020.