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A Review on Methanol as a Clean Energy Carrier: Roles of Zeolite in Improving Production Efficiency

Author

Listed:
  • Aubaid Ullah

    (Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia)

  • Nur Awanis Hashim

    (Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
    Center for Separation Science and Technology, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia)

  • Mohamad Fairus Rabuni

    (Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
    Center for Separation Science and Technology, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia)

  • Mohd Usman Mohd Junaidi

    (Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
    Center for Separation Science and Technology, Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia)

Abstract

Clean methanol can play an important role in achieving net zero emission targets by decarbonizing the energy and chemical sectors. Conventionally, methanol is produced by using fossil fuel as raw material, which releases a significant amount of greenhouse gases (GHGs) into the environment. Clean methanol, which is produced by hydrogen (H 2 ) from renewable sources (green H 2 ) and captured carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), is totally free from the influence of fossil fuel. Due to its vast applications, clean methanol has potential to substitute for fossil fuels while preventing further GHGs emissions. This review addresses the feasibility of producing clean methanol from renewable resources, i.e., green H 2 and captured CO 2 . Availability of these raw materials is the main factor involved in establishing the circular economy of methanol, therefore, their potential sources and the possible pathways to access these sources are also summarized. Renewable energy sources such as solar, wind and biomass should be utilized for producing green H 2 , while CO 2 captured from air, and more likely from point emission sources, can be recycled to produce clean methanol. After producing methanol from CO 2 and H 2 , the removal of by-product water by distillation is a big challenge due its high energy consumption. An alternative approach for this methanol-water separation is membrane technology, which is an energy saving option. Water-selective zeolite membranes can separate water post-synthesis, as well as during the synthesis. Production efficiency of methanol can be enhanced by utilizing zeolite membranes inside the methanol synthesis reactor. Furthermore, CO 2 conversion as well as methanol selectivity, purity and yield can also be increased significantly by selectively removing by-product water using a zeolite membrane reactor.

Suggested Citation

  • Aubaid Ullah & Nur Awanis Hashim & Mohamad Fairus Rabuni & Mohd Usman Mohd Junaidi, 2023. "A Review on Methanol as a Clean Energy Carrier: Roles of Zeolite in Improving Production Efficiency," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-35, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:16:y:2023:i:3:p:1482-:d:1055619
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