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OPPORTUNITIES

ecule that can be utilised as a fuel for diesel engines. The methanol itself can be also one of the fuels for the
Table 1 - Methanol Noteworthy, about 24 MTPY of methanol have been uti- power production. It is here mentioned that since 2014
applications vs. lised in 2019 for the production of these additive and fuel Eliat, a JV between Israel Electric Company and Dow
advantages 12 molecules. 5 Chemical, have replaced the diesel feedstock with meth-
anol for an electric plant with a power capacity of 100
MW. While, in China in the areas of Shanghai, Xi’an and
Applications ADVANTAGES
Tianjin, methanol is utilised as a feedstock for boilers, in-
cluding the domestic ones.
Chemical applications Already used to produce hundreds of everyday in-
8
6, 7
dustrial chemicals and products as well as consumer Again, in China and Israel , methanol (ca. 7.5 MTPY) is
items mixed with gasoline as a fuel for the internal combustion
engine (ICE) vehicles. While, in the same countries, some
Could be used for the production of aromatic com-
pounds (BTX) and other chemicals currently ob- other experiences are ongoing for utilising pure Methanol
tained from petroleum as fuel in heavy vehicles. The European legislation has
Gasoline additive and/or its it is easy to store, transport and distribute by ship, defined a 3% v/v limit for methanol blending application
substitute pipeline, truck and rail although some initiatives are ongoing for demonstrating
the feasibility of higher methanol contents (e.g. Eni S.p.A.
Methanol used as an automotive fuel can be dispensed has tested in its car sharing fleet a A20 gasoline blending
in regular filling stations, requiring only minimal and
relatively inexpensive modifications including 15% v/v of methanol and 5% v/v of ethanol).
Noteworthy, a major application under development
Bunkering of methanol for marine applications worldwide concerns methanol utilisation as marine fuel 9
is similar to marine fuels. Only minor modifications to particularly in the Emission Control Areas (North America,
existing infrastructure are needed at a modest cost
Caribbean, Baltic Sea, North Sea, Mediterranean Sea)
for reducing either the GHG emissions but also the SOx,
High octane rating (RON of 109) and high knocking NOx, particulate matter emissions. Indeed, it appears
resistance. Allows the engine to run at high com-
pression ratios for higher efficiency that methanol and possibly ammonia (with some addi-
tional technical and HSE complexities) could allow the
Can be blended with gasoline in various ratios from achievement of the pollutant emission limitations defined
3% to pure methanol (e.g. M3, M15, M85, M100). by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). Many
Concentrations up to 15% (M15) can be used in reg- initiatives are ongoing in this field and here it is only men-
ular gasoline cars. Higher concentrations (e.g. M85) tioned that ferry solution in the North Sea utilising meth-
can be used in flex-fuel vehicles (similar to E85).
anol fuelled engines are ongoing since 2015 and that
companies such as Wartsila and MAN Energy Solu-
10
Compatible with hybrid (fuel/electric) systems and 11
vehicles. tions provide technologies for the commercialisation of
dual fuel (diesel-methanol) engines that already installed
Diesel substitute Methanol can be used in combustion ignition (diesel) in ca 15 ships.
engines. Danish firm Maersk announced on August 2021 it is or-
Dimethyl ether derived from methanol is a substitute dering eight large, ocean-going vessels able to run on
for diesel fuel (high cetane number). Methanol is also what it called “carbon neutral methanol”
a main component of biodiesel (biodiesel is obtained The table 1 lists the advantages of methanol use for dif-
by transesterification of plant oil and animal fats with ferent applications:
an alcohol). Oxymethylene ethers (OME) derived from
methanol are also being tested as diesel substitutes
Trucks with modified engines running on methanol and
DME are available or under development Methanol production
Marine fuels Use of methanol as a marine fuel fulfils the more Natural gas (NG) is the cleanest feedstock widely used
stringent emission standards in Emission Control Ar-
eas (ECAs) and new global emission standard set by for producing the synthesis gas that is the main feed for
the IMO that took effect in 2020 (0.5% sulphur content the methanol reactors. The other main feedstock for pro-
in marine fuel starting in 2020, compared to 3.5% be- ducing synthesis gas, utilised mainly in China, is coal.
fore). Renewable methanol can also provide pathways to Synthesis gas, a mixture containing mainly H2 and CO
meet the IMO’s GHG emission reduction ambitions
and minor amounts of CO and CH , is an intermediate
4
2
Bunkering of methanol already widely available in for a variety of bulk chemicals such as methanol, am-
many ports around the world
monia, hydrogen as well as synthetic fuels through Fis-
There are currently more than 20 large ships in opera- cher-Tropsch.
tion and on order operating on methanol (DNV GL, Production of methanol includes three main steps: i) syn-
2020). Powered by diesel engines modified to run on
both methanol and diesel. Methanol-optimised engines thesis gas production, ii) crude methanol synthesis, iii)
in development are expected to perform even better crude methanol purification by distillation (Figure 1).
Other fuel uses Can be used in a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) to
produce electricity Synthesis gas production
Good liquid hydrogen carrier (one litre of methanol Synthesis gas production technologies have been in use
contains more hydrogen than a litre of liquid hydrogen). for more than 80 years. Main commercial technologies
Methanol is easily reformed to hydrogen for use in fuel are Steam reforming (SR), Autothermal reforming (ATR)
cells (reformed methanol fuel cells).
and Non-catalytic partial oxidation (POx).
Fuel for cook stoves, industrial boilers, kilns and home SR13, 14, 15, developed in 1926, has been used ever
heating since. The feedstock, a mixture of methane and steam

66 66 Impiantistica Italiana - Gennaio-Febbraio 2022