The Technology Development Centre at the Energy City Foundation (CIUDEN) and the Eurecat technology centre are leading the design and development of a pilot plant for using green hydrogen and captured carbon dioxide to produce high-purity methanol more efficiently, improving the thermodynamic limitations in conventional reactors while also making conventional purification stages unnecessary.
This technological development, which has been put out to tender under the Innovation Partnership procurement procedure, is part of an initiative that will turn emissions into resources and shift towards net-zero emission industry in key sectors of the economy. It is financed by the Spanish Government’s Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR) with funding from the European Union’s Next Generation programme.
The pilot plant for producing methanol from green hydrogen and captured CO2 will make it possible to develop a new generation of methanol reactors using Sorption Enhanced conversion involving catalysts and sorbents. This innovative technology for direct production of 9 kg/h of methanol with purity greater than 90% and other infrastructures will equip CIUDEN with the capacities required for synthesizing e-fuels.
This initiative is based on a circular carbon economy model harnessing green hydrogen to convert captured CO2 into high-value green methanol. Its input to energy transition conforms to the climate-neutrality goals set out in European and national plans.
The development of the pilot plant advances the real implementation of decarbonisation technologies, making it possible for strategic sectors to turn their emissions into high-value-added products such as green methanol.
“This groundbreaking plant is a big step forward in making sustainable methanol because it not only uses renewable sources to make hydrogen but also turns a greenhouse gas into a valuable resource, helping to fight climate change,” said Alberto Gómez Barea, R&D and Innovation Technical Director at CIUDEN.
The project “enhances Eurecat’s position as a leading technology centre in industrial decarbonisation processes and using hydrogen to recover captured CO2, cementing its role in developing scalable and sustainable solutions for industry,” added Gabriel Anzaldi, Eurecat’s Director of Scientific and Technological Development.
The technology developed “will allow hydrogen produced from renewable energies to be chemically stored in the form of methanol while also recovering carbon dioxide to turn it into e-fuel with major applications in the chemical industry and sustainable mobility,” pointed out Víctor Manuel Arteaga Tejerina, the project’s manager at CIUDEN.
“The demonstration plant is designed to be modular, flexible and replicable to suit specific industrial needs,” commented Aitor Gual, Eurecat’s project director and head of the technology centre’s CO2 Capture and Conversion Line. “The new reactors developed by Eurecat will tap innovative technologies to convert CO2 and hydrogen into methanol more efficiently to directly help with mitigating industrial emissions.”
Technology and industrial applications
Eurecat is to develop the plant over two stages. The first, with a budget of €218,000, will be about researching and developing advanced chemical technologies, including the design and experimental validation of more efficient reactors and catalysts. The second, budgeted at €756,000, will involve supplying and commissioning the pilot plant.
The initial R&D and innovation stage will take place at Eurecat’s laboratories in Tarragona while the engineering and validation stage will be performed at Eurecat’s Amposta site. The plant will then be moved to CIUDEN’s facilities in Cubillos del Sil (León) where its continuous operation will be verified under real industrial operating conditions.
Innovation Partnerships, a driving force for scientific and technological knowledge
The project, which is part of a City of Energy Foundation (CIUDEN) strategy to unlock the energy transition towards decarbonisation, has been put out to tender under the Innovation Partnership procurement procedure designed to promote the industrial scalability of scientific and technological knowledge and enable its transfer to the market.
This type of procurement helps to bridge the gap between research and its industrial application, fostering the development of transformational solutions which address specific low-carbon economy challenges.
Green methanol’s significance as an end product
Green methanol has strategic applications including use in the chemical and petrochemical industries along with producing circular chemicals and alternative energy solutions.
It is also a viable alternative for replacing fossil fuels in industries where electrification is challenging such as maritime transport, aviation and industrial thermal processes, both through its direct use in combustion engines and for producing e-fuels or hydrogen carriers. As part of the push for hydrogen in the economy, methanol is seen as a key energy carrier in the transition towards renewable sources.
The project’s technological value
In reactor and catalyst innovation, the project will involve developing advanced technologies to maximise efficiency in converting CO2 and hydrogen into methanol, evaluating the scalability and technical and economic viability of the proposed solution. Validation of the pilot plant under continuous operating conditions will thus be crucial in demonstrating the scalability of the process and its successful introduction into industrial settings.
