Some recent developments...
Recently Stena Line started to operate one of its ferries using blue methanol for the first time. The blue methanol was produced by using carbon dioxide captured from the steel industry, whereas conventional methanol is generally produced using fossil natural gas. Blue methanol is considerably less CO2-intensive than oil products. This is another example of a large shipping company working with other industries to reduce carbon emissions and make the shipping industry more sustainable. (Have a look at some of our recent blogs for more examples!)
Meanwhile, the world's largest container shipping company Maersk has ordered a green methanol run ship to arrive in 2023. This ship is expected to be one of the first of its kind that is completely carbon-neutral.
Some key facts about Methanol...
Methanol is also used in many countries for car fuel as it can also be mixed with conventional fuel.
In China, methanol is made as fuel from coal.
Methanol is often compared to Ethanol fuel : which is ethyl alcohol, the same type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages, used as fuel. Methanol is it generally more toxic than Ethanol and lower energy density.
At present, methanol is usually produced using methane (the chief constituent of natural gas) as a raw material.
"Biomethanol" may be produced by the gasification of organic materials to synthesis gas followed by conventional methanol synthesis. This route can offer renewable methanol production from biomass at efficiencies of up to 75%.
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