Process for Methanol Production from Co2 with Water Removal

Simple SummaryContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

This patent describes a process for producing methanol from a mixture of hydrogen (H2) and carbon oxides (CO and/or CO2) using a catalytic reaction in at least one reactor, with a key feature being the in-situ or intermediate ex-situ removal of water (and optionally methanol) using solid sorbents. The method leverages fluidized bed reactors for improved heat management and process control, enabling efficient methanol synthesis even at small scale and without the need for excessively high pressures or elaborate cooling/recirculation steps. This makes the process especially suitable for decentralized or renewable methanol production from sources like biogas, with integrated strategies for energy use and further gas conversion.

Use CasesContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• On-site renewable methanol production from captured CO2 and green hydrogen at small to medium scale facilities.
• Utilization at biogas plants to convert CO2 content into value-added methanol, reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
• Decentralized methanol generation in industrial or agricultural locations with limited feedstock supply (biogas, fermentation gases, etc.).
• Co-production of methanol and renewable methane or energy in integrated chemical and power plants.
• Production of methanol as a carbon-neutral fuel, fuel additive, or chemical feedstock for further synthesis processes.
• Upgrading biogas or enabling flexible operation in facilities with fluctuating renewable hydrogen supplies.

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Enables efficient, economically viable small-scale methanol production using renewable feedstocks.
• Overcomes the thermodynamic/equilibrium limitations of conventional methanol synthesis without requiring very high pressures or complex multi-step cooling and recirculation systems.
• Improves process control and heat management via fluidized bed reactor design and solid sorbent-assisted product removal.
• Facilitates integration with renewable energy and decentralized biogenic CO2 sources, supporting distributed green chemistry and circular economy models.
• Reduces energy consumption and hardware complexity compared to traditional large-scale methanol plants.
• Allows flexible operation including product separation, catalyst and sorbent regeneration, and integration with other chemical or power generation processes.

Technical Classifications (CPCs)

Inventors & Applicants

Patent Abstract

This objective is achieved according to the present invention by a process for the catalytic production of methanol from a gas mixture of at least H2 and CO and/or CO2 in at least one reactor, comprising the steps of:i) bringing the gas mixture at suitable reaction temperature, pressure and gas flow conditions within the at least one reactor into contact with a catalyst and/or a solid sorbent particles for the generation of at least water and methanol and absorbing water and/or methanol and/or derivate molecules on the solid sorbent particles in order to achieve in-situ or intermediate ex-situ at least partial removal of water and/or methanol and/or derivate molecules from the flow of the gas mixture,ii) separating at least partially at least one of the reaction products in the reactor or between a number of subsequent reactors at a temperature close to the reaction temperature by extracting the particles of the solid sorbent from the gas flow; andiii) operating at least one of the reactors as fluidized bed reactor.Thus, this process achieves a simple, economically more feasible process for the generation of methanol at small scale thanks to i) an efficient removal of the heat of the reaction and to control the temperature profile; and ii) overcoming the equilibrium limitation by different means than high pressure or frequent (in series or due to recycles) intermittent steps of cooling, condensation (or scrubbing) and re-heating. The extraction of the loaded solid sorbent particle and the possibility to recycle the solid sorbent particles therefore opens all possibilities to control the heat removal from the reactor(s), the condensation of water and/or methanol and/or derivate molecules on the solid sorbent particles and the re-heating of the reactor by the recycling of freshly desorbed solid sorbent particles into the reactor(s).