Methanol from biomass

When methanol is made from natural gas, the gas reacts with steam to produce synthesis gas, a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. This then reacts with a catalytic substance at high temperatures and pressures to produce methanol. The process is similar when methanol is produced by the gasification of biomass. The production of methanol from biomass or coal can cost almost twice as much as production from natural gas. 

Considering the full production cycle, methanol from biomass emits less carbon dioxide than ethanol from biomass. This is because short rotation forestry, the feedstocks of methanol, requires the use of less fertilizer... 

Methanol from biomass can also be costly because only relatively small amounts of it are produced through distillation. For this reason, most methanol today is produced from natural gas. The coal industry is even gearing up to produce methanol from its vast coal reserves. However, creating methanol from coal produces more pollution than is saved by burning the cleaner methanol. 

In addition, there is no useful direct access to methanol from biomass, and the synthesis gas route must be used (i.e. gasification of biomass with subsequent methanol synthesis). Compared to the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, the efficiency of methanol synthesis is higher, which is certainly an advantage. However, this is overridden by... 

Bain RL. Material and energy balances for methanol from biomass using biomass gasifiers. NREL/TP-510-17098. Golden, CO NREL 1992. 

Hydrocarb A hypothetical process for making methanol from biomass, which simultaneously makes elemental carbon for storage or use as a fuel. Developed in the 1990s at the Brookhaven National Laboratory, New York. See also Carnol, Hynol. 

Hynol A hypothetical process for making methanol from biomass, especially wood. It has three stages ... 

Also at Palm Springs, two papers by the Methanol Fuel Cell Alliance (Ballard/BASF/BPAmoco/Daimler Chrysler/Methanex/Statoil) and the Methanol Institute, respectively, portray the existing substantial methanol production, distribution and trading based on natural gas reform/synthesis gas/methanol, as in the Methanex Canada plant. Methanol from biomass is a future possibility. A methanol pump can be fitted within the footprint of many existing diesel/gasoline filling stations, and an Identic refuelling nozzle has been developed in Sweden, to avoid confusion between methanol and alternative fuels. 

Figure 7.1. Stepwise accumulated efficiency of chains of energy conversion from primary sources to end-use, taken here as personal transportation. Current vehicles based on oil products are compared to fuel cell vehicles using methanol from biomass or hydrogen from wind (Sorensen, 2004g see text for details).

TABLE 9.14 Estimated Capital, Operating, and Production Costs of Methanol from Biomass ... 

Smith 111, A. J., Stokes, C. A., and Wilkes, P. (1993). The Rebirth of Methanol from Biomass. 1993 World Methanol Conference, Atlanta, GA, November 29-December 1. 

Another conceptual approach to fermentation methanol from biomass is to convert biomass to acetate with suitable acetogenic populations, followed by direct conversion of acetate to methanol. This type of process does not involve intermediate methane and might possibly improve the operational characteristics of the process. The process can be represented by... 

Science Applications, Inc., has recently completed a comprehensive technical and economic assessment of producing methanol from biomass feedstocks employing developed gasification technology. This study includes an assessment of biomass availability and the distribution and markets for methanol fuels as well as thermochemical conversion technology. 

Producing methanol from biomass or coal costs about twice as much as producing it from natural gas. This encourages the use of nonrenewable petrochemical sources over biomass or coal. Considering the full production cycle, methanol from biomass emits less carbon dioxide than ethanol from biomass. This is because short rotation forestry, the feedstocks of methanol, requires the use of less fertilizer and diesel tractor fuel than the agricultural starch and sugar crops which are the feedstocks of ethanol. 

Among the various products that can be synthesized from biomass, methanol was selected because of its versatile applicability to the electricity, transportation, and chemical sectors. Conversion of methanol from biomass is achieved via oxygen-steam gasification followed by shift conversion and methanol synthesis. Three feedstocks were selected for conversion to methanol—wood residue, corn stover, and furfural residue. Availability of... 

A block flow diagram for production of fuel grade methanol from biomass is depicted in Figure I. The gasification step is based upon the Purox process and is followed by shift conversion and gas purification steps. The clean gas, which is shifted to a H2/CO ratio of approximately 2/1, is converted to methanol in the ICI low-pressure methanol synthesis process. The process yields approximately 98% pure methanol with the remaining 2% consisting of water and some higher carbon number alcohols. 

Methanol from biomass may represent a sustainable route to hydrogen [485] (see Section 2.2). 

If methanol from biomass was used as a substitute for oil (33 quads) in the United States, about 1000 million hectare of forest land per year would be needed to supply the raw material. This land area is much greater than the 162 million ha of United States cropland now in production. Although methanol production from biomass may be impractical because of the enormous size of the conversion plants, it is significantly more efficient than ethanol production using corn based on energy output and economic use of cropland. 

As above for methanol from biomass.The residues after gasification of coal can contain large quantities of heavy metals and sulfur with accompanying problems with the deposition of solid wastes.Net carbon dioxide emission to the atmosphere.Large quantities of ash must be deposited. 

Egneus H,Sellden G,Wallin G and W gberg SA (1982) Health and environmental effects of synthetic fuels II.Production of methanol from biomass, Report to Natl.Swed.Env.Prot.Board... 

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