Project Description:
Methanol is a highly sought after precursor to many manufacturing and biopharmaceutical processes, such as for formaldehyde synthesis and as a laboratory solvent, with billions of kilograms being used globally every year. However, traditional synthesis of methanol utilizes a syngas-fueled process to make it, producing adverse carbon emissions in the process. Our project uses Aspen simulation software to look at a novel method of synthesizing methanol. This process utilizes captured carbon dioxide and traditional and renewably synthesized hydrogen gas as the feedstock to mitigate the emission intensity of traditional methanol production, ideally integrating renewable energy to allow the process to have net negative emissions. The process was scaled to be comparable to that of traditional methanol plants found in the southern United States, though our plant's hypothetical location is Baltimore.
