Methanol production from carbon dioxide – a new approach to carbon emission reduction

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This post was last edited by lflsedin on 2011-9-27 at 19:15. Sinochem News: Carbon dioxide is the main culprit behind global warming, but it has a wide range of uses as an industrial raw material. Today, as low carbon emissions have become a key theme in global economic development, various new uses for carbon dioxide have been developed both domestically and internationally – for power generation, cleaning, pest control, and more. Among these diverse new technologies, one stands out for its potential to have a transformative impact on the petrochemical industry as well as on industrial development in general; this is the process of converting carbon dioxide into methanol through hydrogenation. 　　International efforts to address this issue are intensifying. What does the conversion of carbon dioxide into methanol mean for the sustainable development of the petrochemical industry and industrial sectors around the world? 　　“If the production of methanol from carbon dioxide is industrialized, it will bring about a change in the sources of raw materials for the petrochemical industry. This is because, on the one hand, methanol is one of the most widely used basic petrochemical raw materials; it can be used directly as a fuel or to produce gasoline, and it can also be used to manufacture chemicals such as aromatics and olefins ； On the other hand, once this technology achieves breakthroughs and is widely adopted, it will help to alleviate the pressure to reduce carbon emissions in economic development; the burden of emission reduction that has existed in human development up to now can then become a driving force for the growth of green industries. ”An associate professor at Beijing University of Chemical Technology told a CCIN reporter. 　　It is understood that the use of carbon dioxide to produce methanol once sparked widespread discussions around the \"methanol economy\" across the globe. George A. Olah, a Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry and renowned organic chemist, proposed that a cycle involving the production of hydrogen from renewable energy sources, followed by the use of carbon dioxide and hydrogen to synthesize methanol, could serve as a solution to the energy shortages that may arise after the era of oil and gas. Nobel Prize in Physics laureate Carlo Rubbia has also repeatedly suggested using carbon dioxide to produce methanol as an alternative to the currently popular carbon capture and storage methods, thereby reducing emissions while providing raw materials for industry. 　　“For these reasons, this technology has become one of the most prominent carbon dioxide application technologies in the world today. ”This associate professor at Beijing University of Chemical Technology said that in recent years, developed countries have intensified their research into the technology of converting carbon dioxide into methanol, with progress in this area being full of twists and turns. 　　As early as 2002, the Nanotechnology Research Center at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology had developed a medium-scale experimental plant for the hydrogenation of carbon dioxide into methanol, capable of producing 100 kilograms per day under conditions of heating and pressure using transition metal catalysts; however, due to various reasons, further testing of this plant was suspended at that time. 　　In 2009, researchers at the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology in Singapore announced in the renowned professional journal Applied Chemistry that they had successfully developed a catalytic process for converting carbon dioxide into methanol at room temperature, using N-heterocyclic carbenes as organic catalysts. Just as the industry was full of anticipation, the feasibility of this process was quickly called into question by Doris Kunz, an expert from the Institute of Organic Chemistry at Heidelberg University in Germany, regarding the energy consumption associated with the catalyst itself; the energy required to produce this organic catalyst was greater than the amount of carbon dioxide that the process managed to absorb and reduce. 　　Not long ago, the achievements made by Japan’s Mitsui Chemicals Corporation in this field once again caught the attention of the industry. In May of this year, Mitsui Chemicals Corporation announced that, following significant advancements in areas such as carbon dioxide separation, catalyst improvement, and the separation of methanol from water, it had successfully operated the world’s first pilot plant for producing methanol from carbon dioxide at a capacity of 100 tons per year, which was built in 2009 at a cost of $16 million. This is the most advanced achievement in converting carbon dioxide into methanol among the previously announced developments. 　　The technology has reached pilot-scale development in China. According to interviews conducted by CCIN reporters, domestic research institutions and enterprises show just as much interest in the development of this technology as those abroad. 　　“Domestic enterprises with high energy consumption, especially those in the coal chemical industry, show great interest in the technology of using carbon dioxide and hydrogen to produce methanol. Preliminary estimates suggest that thirty to forty companies are closely monitoring the progress of this technology, while many other companies such as Datang and Shenhua are also conducting related research. ”Zhang Chunlei, executive vice president of the Technology Research Institute of Shanghai Huayi Group, said in an interview with a CCIN reporter. 　　It is understood that during the 11th Five-Year Plan period, amid the rapid growth of the national economy, China’s annual carbon dioxide emissions continued to rise, yet the amount of this gas that was recycled was extremely small. According to data provided by the China Industrial Gases Association, by the end of the 11th Five-Year Plan period, China recaptured approximately 7.5 million tons of carbon dioxide each year, of which 70% was put to use, amounting to around 5 million tons. Based on the 7.43 billion tons of carbon emissions in China in 2009, as reported by Germany’s Institute for Renewable Energy IWR, China’s utilization of carbon dioxide amounts to less than one thousandth of that amount. 　　Zhao Min, secretary-general of the Carbon Dioxide Committee of the China Industrial Gases Association, told CCIN reporters that domestic companies are currently mainly involved in the recycling and direct use of carbon dioxide products; these direct applications include mature fields such as carbonated beverages, oil displacement through injection, tobacco puffing, and food preservation. 　　“As required by the Kyoto Protocol, the pressure to reduce carbon emissions in our country is likely to increase after 2012, and **the restrictions on carbon emissions are becoming increasingly strict. In April of this year, officials from the Ministry of Finance stated that China is likely to introduce a carbon tax in the latter part of the 12th Five-Year Plan period, which poses significant pressure on countries with high levels of carbon emissions. However, the current level of large-scale utilization of carbon dioxide in China is clearly not satisfactory. ”Zhang Chunlei analyzes that in terms of usage volume, although carbon dioxide can also be used to produce other chemical products, its consumption is relatively low in comparison. Carbon dioxide is widely used in industry, primarily through the production of methanol. From the perspective of industrial development, converting carbon dioxide into methanol is also the most optimal among the several known chemical processes. 　　What is the gap between China’s carbon dioxide-to-methanol technology and that of developed countries? It is reported that domestic institutions have been engaged in research on the basic technologies for producing methanol from carbon dioxide and hydrogen for decades; although research on application technologies has only gained momentum in recent years, it is already on par with international advanced levels. 　　“Currently, the advanced technology for producing methanol from carbon dioxide via hydrogenation is at the pilot scale. After completing a pilot plant with a capacity of 100 tons, Japanese company Mitsui Chemicals claimed that this technology could be scaled up to a capacity of 10,000 tons, but a plant with such a capacity has not yet been built. Currently, the relevant domestic technologies have also reached a pilot-scale level; compared with international advanced standards, they only lack slight improvements in certain application details. It is feasible to build a thousand-ton pilot plant using existing technologies. ”Zhang Chunlei said. 　　It is understood that the Technology Research Institute of Shanghai Huayi Group has jointly submitted an \"863\" project for the 12th Five-Year Plan period with the Shanxi Coal Chemistry Research Institute. The initial plan is to build a demonstration plant capable of producing methanol from carbon dioxide and hydrogen on a scale of 1,000 tons within 3 years, and this project is expected to start implementation next year. 　　Demonstration units are very necessary. Although there is considerable interest and effort in China to develop technologies for converting carbon dioxide into methanol, the experts interviewed all said that this technology still faces several barriers if it is to be put into industrial use. 　　Firstly, the reaction catalyst still needs improvement. “From the perspective of chemical reaction processes, the catalysts used in China for converting carbon dioxide into methanol still suffer from poor conversion rates and selectivity. Currently, the conversion rate remains at around 15% to 20%; this means that out of 1000 liters of carbon dioxide, only 150 to 200 liters can undergo the reaction using the existing catalysts ； The target selectivity is around 70%. Therefore, if the performance of the catalyst is further improved, it will effectively reduce production costs and facilitate the industrialization of this technology. ”Zhang Chunlei said. 　　Shi Xianping, deputy director of the Petroleum and Chemical Industry Planning Institute, also pointed out that one of the key factors in the reaction of using carbon dioxide and hydrogen to produce methanol is the catalyst; for this reason, some technology-leading companies abroad are also focusing on developing improved catalysts for this process. It is understood that currently, companies such as Topsoe in Denmark, Kansai Electric Power Company and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Japan, Lurgi in Germany, and the Korea Institute of Science and Technology are also working on research into catalysts for the production of methanol from carbon dioxide and hydrogen. 　　Apart from the catalyst, the source of hydrogen is the most important factor limiting the industrialization of this technology. 　　“Currently, the hydrogen production process and cost control are key to the commercialization of carbon dioxide-to-methanol technology. The ability to obtain cheap hydrogen from non-fossil energy sources directly determines the economic viability of this process. ”According to Zhao Min, at present, the production of hydrogen in China still relies on chemical raw materials or water electrolysis. The former consumes existing fossil resources, while the latter requires a large amount of electrical energy. With current hydrogen production technologies, the amount of carbon dioxide emitted due to the energy consumed in this process is no less than the amount of carbon dioxide reduced during methanol production; it is economically unviable and, in fact, does not result in any reduction in emissions. 　　Professor Liu Changjun from the School of Chemical Engineering at Tianjin University believes that the production of methanol from carbon dioxide via hydrogenation also depends to some extent on the development of new energy sources; it can help address the issue of hydrogen supply once energy technologies such as wind power, nuclear power, and solar power are developed on a large scale. He also stated that research on converting carbon dioxide into methanol holds significant positive implications for the sustainable development of human society, and it should be given due attention in China; short-term economic benefits should not be used as a deciding factor. 　　Zhang Chunlei said that it is currently **very necessary to support the construction of demonstration facilities. “Just as with coal-to-oil, this technology can be maintained as a **strategic technical reserve; should fossil resources eventually be unable to meet the needs of production and daily life, carbon dioxide-to-methanol conversion will play a very important role. ” This is truly a great boon for coal chemical industries, such as coal-to-natural gas production!