Modeling and environmental implications of methanol production from biogenic CO2 in the sugarcane industry

This article presents a comprehensive model for the industrial production of methanol through the direct hy-drogenation of biogenic CO2 from a biorefinery. Carbon capture and transformation to methanol are modeled through process simulation, ensuring that the H2 used for CO2 reduction, as well as electrical power re-quirements, are renewable. The environmental assessment is performed via a cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment study. The approach is applied to a typical large-scale sugar-ethanol complex in Argentina. The results show that the production of green methanol is a good option for the decarbonization of the industry and the methanol market. The sustainability of the overall process largely depends on the sustainability of the agricultural tasks that form the basis of the biorefinery. This is an unavoidable aspect that is not taken into account in many environmental studies on the production of CO2-based products, which leave aside the origin of the CO2.

Automated summary

This article presents a comprehensive model for the industrial production of methanol through the direct hydrogenation of biogenic CO2 from a biorefinery. The carbon capture and transformation process is simulated, ensuring the use of renewable H2 and electrical power. An environmental assessment is conducted through a life cycle assessment study, applied to a typical sugar-ethanol complex in Argentina. The results demonstrate that producing green methanol is a viable option for decarbonizing the industry and the methanol market. However, the sustainability of the overall process heavily relies on the sustainability of the agricultural tasks in the biorefinery, which is often neglected in environmental studies on CO2-based product production.