Green methanol

Dec. 28, 2022

State-owned power generation company NTPC has recently partnered with Tecnimont to explore green methanol production at a commercial scale.

About:

  • The green methanol project involves capturing carbon from NTPC power plants and converting it into a green fuel.
  • The objective of the partnership was to demonstrate technologies for firing a higher percentage of Torrefied Biomass in NTPC’s coal fired units, Methanol Firing and Ammonia Firing.

What is Green methanol?

  • Green methanol is methanol that is produced renewably and without polluting emissions, one of its variants being generated from green hydrogen.
  • It is a low-carbon fuel that can be made from either biomass gasification or renewable electricity and captured carbon dioxide (CO2).
  • This chemical compound can be used as a low-carbon liquid fuel and is a promising alternative to fossil fuels in areas where decarbonisation is a major challenge, such as maritime transport.

Other classifications:

Grey methanol

  • It is obtained by synthesis reaction from methane present in natural gas (or in some cases, as in China, still from coal). It is therefore not a renewable or clean energy.

 Blue methanol

  • It is also obtained by synthesis derived from natural gas, but includes as part of the process the capture and storage of the carbon generated during its production, converting it into a less polluting product.