CO2-neutral methanol
Haldor Topsoe A/S (Lyngby, Denmark; www.topsoe.com) has started up a demonstration plant for the production of sustainable methanol from biogas. The demonstration plant, which is part of a project supported by the EUDP Energy Technology Development and Demonstration Program and is developed together with Aarhus University, aims to validate Topsoe’s electrified steam-methane-reforming (eSMR) technology for cost-competitive production of sustainable methanol from biogas as well as other sustainable products.
As with conventional SMR, eSMR reforms methane into synthesis gas (syngas), which can then be used for methanol synthesis (or other chemicals). However, instead of heating the catalyst-packed reformer tubes indirectly by the combustion of fuels, eSMR uses smaller-diameter tubes, which have a catalyst coated on the inner walls, that are directly heated electrically. The company has achieved 10-times higher catalyst efficiency with this technology. As a result, the size of the reformer can be reduced by a factor of 100.
The demonstration plant — located at Aarhus University’s research facility in Foulum, Denmark — will have a capacity of 10,0000 L/yr of CO2-neutral methanol from biogas and green power and is scheduled to be fully operational by the beginning of 2022.
Topsoe is leading the project, with partners Aarhus University, Sintex, Blue World Technology, Technical University of Denmark, Energinet, Aalborg University, and PlanEnergi.