Swedish eMethanol startup launches crowd-funding campaign, developing commercial-scale plant
01 May 2020
The Swedish start-up Liquid Wind recently launched a second crowdfunding campaign and has already raised 1,000,000 SEK (US$102,000). Liquid Wind is developing its first commercial-scale eMethanol facility in Sweden and plans to establish 6 facilities by 2030 before expanding internationally. The project is supported by the expertise and technology of Axpo, COWI, Carbon Clean Solutions, Haldor Topsoe, Nel Hydrogen and Siemens.
Liquid Wind, in partnership with its consortium of experts, Consortium, will convert waste CO2 and renewable electricity into eMethanol, a carbon-neutral fuel. The funding will enable Liquid Wind to accelerate its momentum in bringing eMethanol to market at scale and reducing carbon emissions from transport.
Each facility will capture 70 kilotonnes (kt) of CO2 and combine this with hydrogen made from renewable electricity and water to produce 45 kt of fuel. By replacing fossil fuels this will enable a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions of 90 kt per year.
eMethanol Production Process
The design for the facility is well underway and funds will be used to support engineering and permitting work leading up to financial close of the facility in 2021. The eMethanol will be commercially available from 2023.
The long-term collaboration will result in a standardized eMethanol facility blueprint, captured as a ‘digital twin’, for efficient replication.
The project is being considered for a €1.7-million investment from EIT InnoEnergy. EIT InnoEnergy is an investment body and part of the European Union.
Crowdfunding probably won't raise the amount of money they need.
Posted by: SJC_1 | 01 May 2020 at 07:26 AM
Nice, but why use it as a fuel.
It remains fossil carbon, that is only used a second time, but eventually is released into the atmosphere.
If used as fuel, it is an extremely inefficient use of electricity and an apology for ice users.
Moreover, the EtOH is probably very pure, which is unnecessary for fuel.
Use it in the chemical industry.
Posted by: Alain | 01 May 2020 at 08:49 AM
only used a second time...
Reuse to reduce.
Posted by: SJC_1 | 01 May 2020 at 03:25 PM
Methanol is interesting, because it requires only 3/4 as much H2 to make it from CO2 as methane does. The reaction to methane is highly exothermic (lossy). If you air-captured your CO2 @ 3 MJ/kg you'd need 8.25 MJ (2.29 kWh) plus 21.5 kWh into the electrolyzer @ 43 kWh/kg to make 1 kg CH4 @ 13.9 kWh LHV; that's 58.4% to get a fuel you can't even pour. How lossy is methanol?
6 kg H2 reacts with 44 kg CO2 to make 32 kg MeOH and 18 kg H2O. If your electrolyzer consumes 43 kWh/kg, you need 258 kWh input. For a closed-loop system you need to air-capture your CO2. Guesstimate 3 MJ/kg for that or 132 MJ (36.7 kWh) for a total of 294.7 kWh. The HHV of MeOH is 6.39 kWh/kg and the LHV is 5.54 kWh/kg, so your fuel value is between 204.5 and 177.3 kWh. The LHV efficiency is 60.2%, which isn't half bad for a truly renewable liquid fuel. Best of all, you can thermally crack MeOH back to CO and H2, picking up energy from engine exhaust heat and increasing the LHV to 6.63 kWh/kg. That gives you a whopping 72% efficiency from electric input to the fuel value of your fuel gas.
Yup, methanol is great stuff.
Posted by: Engineer-Poet | 02 May 2020 at 12:54 PM
Someone said methanol is too toxic.
Posted by: SJC_1 | 04 May 2020 at 10:00 AM