Methanol from solid fuels: A cost-effective route to reduced emissions and enhanced energy security

Methanol (MeOH) is gaining increasing relevance as a future energy carrier. It can be produced through multiple avenues, including locally available solid fuels where the CO2 footprint of coal-derived MeOH can be strongly reduced through co-gasification with biomass and integration of CO2 capture and storage. This work presents a techno-economic assessment of five MeOH production processes from a 70/30 %w. coal/biomass blend under consistent cost assumptions of 2.5 euro/GJ coal, 100 euro/ton (6.1 euro/GJ) biomass, 100 euro/ton CO2 tax and 60 euro/MWh carbon-free electricity. The reference plant configuration reached a levelized cost of MeOH (LCOM) of 285.5 euro/ton, while the two advanced concepts with a more efficient gasification system reached costs of 245.0-255.0 euro/ton. Two additional cases synergistically integrating PEM electrolysers to deliver H2 for improving the syngas H/C ratio and O2 for gasification reached higher LCOM of 363.0-448.8 euro/ton due to the higher cost contribution of electricity. An unrealistically low price of 25.6-34.7 euro/MWh for a steady-state supply of carbon-free electricity is required for these configurations to break even with the benchmark plant. Finally, MeOH from the best performing plant was shown to be cost-competitive with gasoline produced from 60 euro/barrel oil, while total CO2 emissions (including combustion) were 56 % lower. Thus, MeOH from solid fuels offers a cost-effective solution to climate change and energy security in energy importing regions.

Automated summary

This study provides a techno-economic assessment of methanol production from solid fuels, showing that methanol can be produced with reduced CO2 emissions through co-gasification with biomass. It is cost-competitive with gasoline and offers a solution for climate change and energy security in energy importing regions.