Converting solar energy into liquid methanol can alleviate fuel shortages in our country
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As an important component in achieving the \"carbon neutrality\" strategy, hydrogen energy is highly favored by major countries and regions around the world. Over the past six months, hydrogen energy industrial parks have been planned and constructed across the country; hydrogen-related policies have been introduced in various provinces and cities, and an increasing number of companies are entering the hydrogen energy industry. “Green hydrogen is hydrogen produced through the decomposition of water using renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and hydroelectric power; it will be the key solution for reducing carbon dioxide emissions in the future. ”Li Can, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said to Sohu Finance’s “100 Influential Figures” program at the “2021 Yangtze River Delta (Zhangjiagang) International Hydrogen Energy Industry Talent Summit” recently. Li Can said that hydrogen energy will play an increasingly important role in China’s energy structure in the future. To achieve carbon peak and carbon neutrality, our country must, on the one hand, increase the proportion of renewable energy, and on the other hand, address the issue of unavoidable carbon dioxide emissions. Scalable carbon reduction can be achieved through \"green hydrogen\" and \"liquid solar methanol\", combining an increased proportion of renewable energy with carbon reduction in order to meet the dual-carbon goals. For nearly 20 years, Li Can has been dedicated to research in new and renewable energy. In 2001, Li Can took the lead in initiating research on \"artificial photosynthetic solar fuel\": using renewable energy sources such as solar power to produce \"green\" hydrogen, and converting carbon dioxide into liquid fuels such as methanol through hydrogenation – this is also the technical approach for synthesizing liquid solar fuel (i.e., liquid sunlight). In January 2020, the demonstration project for \"liquid sunlight,\" developed under the leadership of Li Can’s institute, the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, successfully started operation, producing liquid methanol. This is one of the earliest attempts at large-scale synthesis of direct solar fuel on a global scale. Li Can said that hydrogen energy will play an increasingly important role in China’s energy structure in the future. To achieve carbon peak and carbon neutrality, our country must, on the one hand, increase the proportion of renewable energy, and on the other hand, address the issue of unavoidable carbon dioxide emissions. Scalable carbon reduction can be achieved through \"green hydrogen\" and \"liquid solar methanol\", combining an increased proportion of renewable energy with carbon reduction in order to meet the dual-carbon goals. For nearly 20 years, Li Can has been dedicated to research in new and renewable energy. In 2001, Li Can took the lead in initiating research on \"artificial photosynthetic solar fuel\": using renewable energy sources such as solar power to produce \"green\" hydrogen, and converting carbon dioxide into liquid fuels such as methanol through hydrogenation – this is also the technical approach for synthesizing liquid solar fuel (i.e., liquid sunlight). In January 2020, the demonstration project for \"liquid sunlight,\" developed under the leadership of Li Can’s institute, the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, successfully started operation, producing liquid methanol. This is one of the earliest attempts at large-scale synthesis of direct solar fuel on a global scale.
By converting solar energy into liquid fuel, scientists poetically call it \"liquid sunlight\" – methanol. Li Can said that producing methanol from “liquid sunlight” allows for the recovery of carbon dioxide, thereby helping to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Furthermore, if methanol is used as a fuel in place of coal, PM2.5 emissions will be reduced by over 80%, and nitrogen oxide emissions will be reduced by over 90%. “If a portion of renewable energy electricity can be gradually converted into fuels such as hydrogen and methanol to replace gasoline and diesel, it will help alleviate the shortage of liquid fuels, reduce dependence on imported energy, and at the same time help achieve the goals of carbon peak and carbon neutrality. ” The advantages of scaling up the use of \"liquid sunlight\" are significant. Li Can did some calculations related to the \"ecological economy\": 1.375 tons of carbon dioxide can be converted from each ton of methanol. Currently, China’s annual methanol production capacity is around 80 million tons; if the \"liquid sunlight\" technology were used in its entirety, hundreds of millions of tons of carbon dioxide could be converted each year. At the same time, the production of 1 ton of methanol can store more than 6,000 kWh of electricity, while the production of hydrogen through water electrolysis allows 33,000 kWh of electricity to be stored per ton of hydrogen produced; this means that this approach can also be used as a technique for large-scale chemical energy storage. “We have already carried out a demonstration project in Shanghai. A hydrogen station is currently being built in Zhangjiagang. We plan to use hydrogen refueling stations at the Winter Olympics; this will be a new technology. ”Li Can said. “In the future, green hydrogen can not only be used to power fuel cells; its application prospects are very broad. ”Li Can said that through the method of \"liquid solar methanol,\" it can be used as a direct fuel. Additionally, methanol can also be used to synthesize olefins, aromatics, and oxygen-containing compounds; our demand for these products is extremely high. If all these aspects are utilized, “liquid sunlight methanol” can help reduce carbon dioxide emissions by several billion tons.
It is indeed of great significance that this production process has been put into industrial use.
At present, hydrogen production still relies on fossil fuels, which is merely a superficial phenomenon. And most of it is consumed through hydrogenation by the petrochemical companies themselves
Interestingly, this unit, led by the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has once again turned to the field of introductions
Hydrogen is produced by solar electrolysis, and methanol is synthesized through the reaction of hydrogen with CO2.
The MTO process developed by Dahuahua has brought a new era of prosperity to the international coal chemical industry.
Yes, in today’s photovoltaic plants, for water electrolysis or the use of wind and solar energy for water electrolysis, what are their conversion rates, their energy consumption, and is CO2 produced in the process? Or what about the efficiency of conversion to natural gas or methanol? It’s not that people see a certain policy and then rush to take part in it. Everyone wants to be the first to try something new, everyone wants to give it a shot. We have many photovoltaic factories here; **we focus on promoting Ningxia as the world’s largest facility for solar water electrolysis, highlighting how amazing it is. Water electrolysis is much better than converting natural gas or methanol – only that can be considered a true renewable energy source, as it produces no CO2. Then there are various incentives to encourage companies to engage in this area... In our case, as long as one is involved in new energy and hydrogen technologies, even if they lack the necessary skills, as long as they are willing to work hard, **not only are subsidies provided, but help is also given in terms of introducing technology and talent. Some companies find their own staff and business partners. But is hydrogen technology really mature enough yet? We focus more on photovoltaic systems and solar water electrolysis; is ordinary water electrolysis ready for commercial use? Could this be another form of capital manipulation, using the guise of carbon neutrality to create hype for the stock market, with the aim of obtaining subsidies? I wonder what will happen next. I really have no idea whether it will be good or bad
The costs are currently high: green hydrogen is expensive, the cost of carbon dioxide capture is also high, and catalyst efficiency is low. Several countries in Europe, such as Belgium and Iceland, are carrying out similar projects; only by reducing these costs can such technologies be widely adopted.
The cost of large-scale applications will decrease, and the gap caused by environmental protection pressures will narrow