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Methanol will resolve the obstacles to the development of hydrogen energy, enabling immediate use. Author/Source: Refining & Chemical Industry News. Date: December 21, 2020. Clicks: 2. Recently, Zhang Tao, vice president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and an academician, stated that producing green hydrogen through power generation from renewable sources, and then combining it with carbon dioxide to create green methanol that is easy to store and transport, represents an important pathway toward zero carbon emissions. Against the backdrop of high costs in the production, storage, transportation, and refueling of hydrogen, as well as slow progress in infrastructure development, the green methanol economy may help reduce costs and improve efficiency across the hydrogen industry chain, thereby addressing its existing bottlenecks. It can serve as a safe and efficient hydrogen storage medium. In Zhang Tao’s view, green methanol has a high energy density, making it an ideal method for storing and transporting liquid energy. “Methanol is an excellent carrier for transporting and storing hydrogen; the amount of hydrogen produced by the reaction of methanol with water is twice that of liquid hydrogen in the same volume. ”Liu Ke, a foreign member of the Australian Academy of Engineering, once said. Han Difei, director of the Zhangjiagang Industrial Technology Research Institute at the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, believes that \"methanol, as a liquid fuel at normal temperature and pressure, can be stored and transported safely, efficiently, economically, and conveniently.\" Considering the current development status of the hydrogen energy industry, methanol is used as a high-density hydrogen storage material; the reformation of each ton of methanol with water can produce over 180 kilograms of hydrogen, offering a higher hydrogen storage energy density compared to high-pressure or cryogenic liquid hydrogen storage methods. ” In fact, energy storage is not limited to storing electricity alone; green methanol is an ideal form of energy storage. In Han Difei’s view, considering storage and transportation safety as well as economic efficiency, methanol is currently an effective solution for large-scale, safe, and efficient energy storage. “‘The 14th Five-Year Plan and the long-term goals for 2035 both advocate for the development of renewable energy sources and large-scale energy storage. Green methanol can help make use of renewable energy while addressing the issue of large-scale energy storage, thereby maximizing carbon dioxide emission reductions. ” Helping to reduce costs in all aspects of hydrogen energy use, Han Difei said that hydrogen production from methanol can significantly lower the costs associated with using hydrogen. “The price of methanol is generally between 2,000 and 3,000 yuan per ton. This year, due to factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic and price wars in the shale oil and gas sector, market demand has weakened, resulting in lower prices for methanol; in the western regions, the price is below 1,500 yuan per ton, while in the eastern regions it is below 2,000 yuan per ton. As the market picks up, prices have recently rebounded to above 2,300 yuan per ton. ” Liu Ke also said that in terms of the cost of using hydrogen, the cost of producing hydrogen from methanol can be as low as 15 yuan per kilogram under ideal conditions, whereas the lowest overall cost of using hydrogen internationally is 66.4 yuan per kilogram. Methanol can also enable the immediate use of hydrogen energy. Han Difei stated that thanks to the convenience of storing and transporting methanol, it is possible to build hydrogen refueling stations at the points where hydrogen is used, allowing for hydrogen production on-site according to demand. The cost of producing hydrogen is not high; at the end-user level, the price of hydrogen at refueling stations is below 35 yuan per kilogram. This approach can effectively connect together the entire industry chain, including large-scale electrolytic water splitting to produce hydrogen, the synthesis and transportation of methanol, as well as on-site hydrogen production and refueling. “The costs of storing and transporting methanol are almost on par with those for gasoline, and the hydrogen pricing at end-use sites can accurately reflect the costs associated with all stages of production, storage, transportation, and refueling. ” Driving the \"green upgrade\" of the hydrogen industry chain In Zhang Tao’s view, green methanol, as a hub for energy conversion, can address the issue of clean energy usage throughout the entire carbon footprint process. It also serves to expand the applications of hydrogen technology, reduce carbon emissions, and facilitate the utilization of carbon – achieving multiple benefits at once. “The use of renewable energy to produce hydrogen, combined with coal chemical processes for methanol synthesis, can reduce carbon dioxide emissions and increase methanol production. This approach helps to address issues related to energy security and the environment, such as China’s reliance on imported fossil fuels and high levels of carbon emissions, and it facilitates a transition from traditional coal chemical production methods to newer, more sustainable ones that are low in carbon emissions. ”Han Difei said, \"By using renewable energy to electrolyze water to produce hydrogen and combining this with coal chemical processes to manufacture methanol, 1.5 tons of coal can be used to produce 2 tons more methanol, while reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 3 tons; this approach is more economical and environmentally friendly than traditional coal chemical processes.\" ” Li Can, a researcher at the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, believes that green methanol can effectively address the issues of inter-seasonal and long-term energy storage, serving as another means for large-scale energy transmission apart from ultra-high voltage power transmission. “It is worth noting that the supply side of renewable energy and coal resources is primarily concentrated in the central and western regions of China, which possess the resource endowments and foundational advantages necessary for developing a methanol economy. As the end-user sector for energy consumption, the eastern region can make full use of coastal wind and solar energy resources. While producing hydrogen on-site from methanol, it can recycle the carbon dioxide separated and recovered during the hydrogen production via reforming process, and combine this with locally available renewable energy to produce methanol, thereby achieving a circular economy based on green hydrogen. ”Han Difei added further.