MefCO 2 - Methanol fuel from CO 2 Synthesis of methanol from captured carbon dioxide using surplus electricity
The problem According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (a scientific intergovernmental body under the auspices of the United Nations), GHG emissions must be reduced by 50 to 80% by 2050 to avoid dramatic consequences of global warming . In this context, the EU has established ambitious goals in terms of CO 2 emission reduction and use of renewables. The targets for 2020 correspond to a reduction of 20% in CO 2 emissions, an increase of 20% of renewable energy sources in the final electrical power mix and an improvement of 20% in energy efficiency. These goals are even higher for 2030 objectives: the EU Parliament voted on the 5 th of February 2014 for a 40% cut in CO 2 emissions, a 30% share of the energy market for renewables and a 40% improvement in energy efficiency. Clearly, these goals are the result of a European problem which is a priority for the EU political agenda . However, the achievement of such goals must be accomplished without limiting European competitiveness. Conversely, this scenario represents a sound opportunity to design, develop and deploy innovative systems to increase energy efficiency and renewable energy usage, cut CO 2 emissions and obtain an economic output. 2
Current alternatives In the last few years, in parallel with the development of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technologies, a new vision about CO 2 is rising focused on the development of technologies able to reuse CO 2 instead of storing it. In this way, CO 2 is not considered a problem or a waste to be treated with a significant economic impact, but rather a key valuable element to be used for the sustainable future of the chemical industry . The application of CO 2 for chemical processes includes its usage for the production of raw materials (methane, light olefin), the synthesis of advanced materials (CO 2 -based polymers), as a solvent (supercritical extraction) and for the production of fuels (methanol, biodiesel). These technologies, which target the massive use of CO 2 as a reactant or feedstock in crucial industrial sectors, include: • Dry reforming of methane for the production of synthetic fuels. • Production of methane from CO 2 . • CO 2 for biodiesel production. • CO 2 supercritical extraction. • CO 2 to methanol . 3
The EU commitment Europe has the know-how, the ability and the ambition to lead the world in developing the technologies required to tackle climate change, and is a leading player in the area of low carbon technologies through a diverse range of policy initiatives. One such initiative is the SPIRE Public-Private Partnership launched as part of the Horizon 2020 framework programme, to ensure the development of enabling technologies and best practices along all the stages of large scale existing value chain productions that will contribute to a resource efficient process industry. Other EU initiatives in support of low carbon technologies include: • The EU Emissions Trading System managed by the Directorate-General for Climate Action which provides support for the uptake of new technology by putting a price on carbon emissions, and so stimulating the development of technologies which avoid them. • The European Economic Recovery Programme which has allocated € 1 billion to CCS demonstration and € 565 million to offshore wind demonstration. • The Strategic Energy Technology Plan which aims at accelerating the research, development and deployment of cost-effective low carbon technologies. • The Global Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Fund , an global risk capital fund to mobilise private investment in small-scale energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. 4
Our approach Our project: MefCO 2 (Methanol fuel from CO 2 ) - Synthesis of methanol from captured carbon dioxide using surplus electricity. Aim : To develop an innovative green chemical production technology which contributes significantly to the European objectives of decreasing CO 2 emissions and increasing renewable energy usage, thereby improving Europe’s competitiveness in the field. Concept : The overall concept underpinning the project lies in the utilisation of ordinarily emitted greenhouse gas carbon dioxide and hydrogen, produced from redundant electrical energy into a widely-useable platform chemical, methanol. The technology is being designed in a modular intermediate-scale, with the aim of being able to adapt it to varying plant sizes and gas composition. 5
Project architecture Water electrolysis Carbon capture plant Methanol process Power plant 6
Project team • i-deals (Spain) Coordination, dissemination & exploitation • National Institute of Chemistry Slovenia (Slovenia) Catalysis and reaction engineering • Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Europe (Germany) System integrator Subcontractor: STEAG (Germany) Power plant owner • Cardiff Catalysis Institute (UK) Research in catalyst synthesis • Carbon Recycling International (Iceland) CO 2 to methanol technology developer • DIME - University of Genoa (Italy) Thermo-economic analysis and process optimisation • Hydrogenics Europe (Belgium) Electrolyser technology developer • University of Duisburg Essen (Germany) CO 2 capture technology provider 7
Project plan 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 WP1 Catalyst synthesis, characterisation and performance screening MS1 60 synthesised catalysts in mg amounts MS2 60 synthesised catalysts characterized MS3 Performance of 60 synthesised catalysts tested WP2 Effect of process conditions during continuous operation MS4 Effect of process conditions in lab-scale reactor prototypes MS5 Process model MS6 Process optimisation WP3 Scale-up to industrial process and linking reactant and product sides MS7 Engineering completed MS8 Construction completed MS9 Hot commissioning completed MS10 Produced methanol and its further products analysed MS11 Test program completed WP4 Efficient grid integration of renewable energy via hydrogen production MS12 Electrolyser operational and connected to the grid MS13 Grid-connected electrolyser tested upon power fluctuations WP5 Project coordination and result's exploitation & dissemination MS14 Annual coordination report (1) MS15 Annual coordination report (2) MS16 Annual coordination report (3) MS17 Annual coordination report (4) 8
Envisaged project results The current project is to encompass flexible (in operation and feed) methanol synthesis with high carbon dioxide concentration-streams as an input, the latter originating from thermal power stations using fossil fuels. The technology is also intended for the application of existing biomass combustion and gasification system streams, operating for the production of electric/thermal energy, as opposed to chemical synthesis. The other synthesis reactant, hydrogen, is to originate from water hydrolysis using surplus energy, which would be conversely difficult to return to the grid. Advantages : The primary advantages of this technology shall be its flexibility, medium-scale operation (deployed “at exhaust location”), and facile integration capacities . Benefits : • Mitigation of exhaust carbon dioxide and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. • Stabilisation of electric grid by the consumption of the electric energy at its peaks. • Production of methanol as a versatile chemical for further conversion. 9
The route for exploitation An exploitation action is a revenue generation mechanism pursuing the commercialisation of a project’s assets to certain client segments with an adequate value proposition. 10
The source for a business The project can be a business if thanks to the right exploitation actions and customers segments, the identification of the most suitable market is approached product-market fit. PROJECT’S PRODUCT-MARKET ADEQUATELY SEGMENTED PRODUCS / ASSETS FIT CUSTOMERS 1 • Clone market (copy of an Increase capabilities of • Technology/market insight: existing processes existing business model) why is this problem hard to • Existing market (faster, 2 solve? New technology package better/high-end) • Market size: how big is the licensed/deployed • Re-segmented market problem? 3 (niche, cheaper/low end) • Competition: what others do Methanol production and • New market (good enough, commercialisation today? innovative) REVENUE STREAMS & LEVERS 11
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 637016. www.mefco2.eu Contact: info@i-deals.es
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