Industrial Plant CO2 to Methanol Conversion
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing industrial production plants face challenges in operating with low greenhouse gas emissions, particularly CO2, as current carbon capture and storage technologies incur efficiency losses and additional costs, and there is a need for an alternative that converts CO2 into a saleable product.
Innovation Solution
An industrial production plant comprising a first production plant producing low-CO2 and H2-rich product gas, associated offgas purification apparatuses, a gas treatment plant for separating H2-rich and CO2-free gas streams, a water electrolysis plant for producing hydrogen, and a second production plant that converts CO2 and hydrogen into methanol or downstream products, allowing for the utilization of surplus power and efficient CO2 conversion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-generated harmful factors
If carbon capture and storage technologies are used to remove CO2 from offgas, then CO2 emission is reduced, but efficiency decreases and additional costs are incurred
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts CO2, traditionally viewed as a harmful emission requiring costly removal, into a valuable resource for methanol production. The CO2 from offgas is fed into a methanol synthesis unit where it reacts with hydrogen to produce methanol, transforming the waste stream into a saleable product and eliminating the need for expensive CO2 removal technologies.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the utilization parameter of CO2 from 'emission to be removed' to 'feedstock for chemical synthesis'. By altering how CO2 is handled in the process flow - directing it to methanol production rather than to capture units - the system achieves emission reduction while maintaining or improving overall efficiency through product generation.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If carbon capture and storage technologies are used to remove CO2 from offgas, then CO2 emission is reduced, but additional costs are incurred
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates additional costs associated with CO2 capture by converting CO2 into a saleable product. The methanol synthesis unit generates revenue from CO2 that would otherwise require costly removal, turning a cost center into a profit center and making CO2 management economically advantageous.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses its own CO2 emissions as feedstock for methanol production, making the plant self-sufficient in terms of carbon management. The CO2 generated in firing devices is directly utilized in the methanol synthesis unit, eliminating the need for external CO2 removal or purchase services.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If CO2 is converted into methanol using hydrogen from water electrolysis, then CO2 utilization is achieved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the methanol synthesis process with the existing hydrogen production from gasification and the CO2 supply from firing devices. By integrating these streams - combining H2 from gasification/electrolysis with CO2 from offgas in the methanol synthesis unit - the system achieves CO2 utilization while leveraging existing energy flows and minimizing additional energy input requirements.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution enables the conversion of 90% of CO2 into a commercial product, improving the economics of the production plant by utilizing surplus power and achieving an efficiency of 69% with back-integration of waste heat, allowing for flexible operation of power stations even during minimum load conditions.
Implementation Method 1
Gas treatment plant (4) which is connected to the first offgas purification apparatus (3) via a first conduit connection (5) and separates the product gas or offgas into a carbon-containing, at least substantially H2-free gas substream (6) and an at least substantially carbon-free, H2-rich gas substream (7)
Implementation Method 2
a water electrolysis plant producing hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O2)
Implementation Method 3
a second production plant which produces methanol and/or downstream products of methanol and is firstly connected via the CO2 conduit connection to the device producing the CO2-rich gas stream and to which the CO2-rich gas stream can be at least partly fed
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to an industrial production plant (1), which comprises a first production plant (2), which produces a CO2-poor and H2-rich exhaust gas from a carbon-containing feed material and which has an associated first exhaust-gas cleaning device (3) and an associated second exhaust-gas cleaning device (14). The problem addressed by the invention is that of creating a solution by means of which a carbon capture and utilization method can be effectively and efficiently performed. This problem is solved in that the industrial production plant (1) also comprises a gas-processing plant (4), which divides the exhaust gas into a carbon-containing, at least substantially H2-free partial gas flow (6) and a carbon-free, H2-rich partial gas flow (7); comprises an apparatus (19) for producing a CO2-rich gas flow, to which apparatus at least a part of a CO2-containing exhaust-gas flow (17) arising in a firing apparatus (11) can be fed after flowing through the second exhaust-gas cleaning device (14); and comprises a water electrolysis plant (24), which produces hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (02), and a second production plant (20), which produces methanol and/or secondary methanol products and which has a CO2 line connection (21) to the apparatus (19) on one side and an H2 line connection (23) to the gas-processing plant (4) and the water electrolysis plant (24) on the other side.