Process Advantages of Direct CO2 to Methanol Synthesis
Open accessAbstract
Developing a laboratory scale or pilot scale chemical process into industrial scale is not trivial. The direct conversion of CO2 to methanol, and concomitant production of hydrogen from water electrolysis on large scale, are no exception. However, when successful, there are certain benefits to this process over the conventional process for producing methanol, both economic and environmental. In this article, we highlight some aspects that are unique to the process of converting pure CO2 to methanol. Starting from pure CO2 and a separate pure source of H2, rather than a mixture of CO, CO2 and H2 as is the case with syngas, simplifies the chemistry, and therefore also changes the reaction and purification processes from conventional methanol producing industrial plants. At the core of the advantages is that the reaction impurities are essentially limited to only water and dissolved CO2 in the crude methanol. In this paper we focus on several aspects of the process that direct conversion of CO2 to methanol enjoys over existing methods from conventional syngas. In particular, we discuss processes for removing CO2 from a methanol synthesis intermediate product stream by way of a stripper unit in an overhead stream of a distillation column, as well as aspects of a split tower design for the distillation column with an integrated vapo-condenser and optionally also featuring mechanical vapor re-compression. Lastly, we highlight some differences in reactor design for the present system over those used in conventional plants.
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With a high recycling ratio in the synthesis process, CO2-to-methanol conversion rates approach 100%.
“With a high recycling ratio in the synthesis process, CO2-to-methanol conversion rates approach 100 % [29]”
From Locked in on RFNBOs – Will EU mandates for drop-in synthetic aviation fuels lead to decreased energy- and cost-efficiency? (2026) · cites this paper as [29]
The “Gas stripper for removal of light ends” section says recycling removed CO2 to the reactor creates a loop that may ultimately convert all the CO2 into methanol. That supports the possibility of near-complete conversion through recycling, but the paper does not give a high recycling ratio or report conversion rates approaching 100%. (LLM, conf=0.84)
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- Authors
- Marlin, D. S., Sarron, E., & Sigurbjörnsson, Ó.
- Corresponding author
- Marlin, Dana S.
- Venue
- Frontiers in Chemistry
- Publisher
- Frontiers Media SA
- Published
- 2018-09-27
- Volume
- 6
- Pages
- 446-446
- ISSN
- 2296-2646 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC6170633
- OpenAlex
- W2892805921
- Cited by
- 257
- References
- 22
- Citations by year
- 2026: 17 · 2025: 36 · 2024: 50 · 2023: 36 · 2022: 43 · 2021: 41 · 2020: 27 · 2019: 7
- FWCI
- 4.49
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Locations
- Frontiers in Chemistry (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Chemical Engineering › Catalysis › Catalysts for Methane Reforming
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Control and Systems Engineering › Process Optimization and Integration
- Physical Sciences › Chemical Engineering › Process Chemistry and Technology › Carbon dioxide utilization in catalysis
- Keywords
- methanol synthesis, scale-up, methanol purification, distillation column, mechanical vapor recompression, reactor design
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