Illinois Ethanol Plant's Bold Move: Testing Green Methanol as Pipeline Game-Changer

US: CapCO2 is developing an innovative technology and business model to capture and utilize the massive amounts of waste biogenic CO₂ released by ethanol plants. By turning this bioCO2 into green methanol, we can reduce our reliance on fossil fuels for manufacturing a wide range of products including plastics, chemicals, paints, and cosmetics. With a complete solution that leverages wasted biomass resources, CapCO2 aims to revolutionize the production of Methanol in an eco-friendly way.

It has signed an agreement with Illinois-based Adkins Energy LLC. The two companies will partner on a project that tests the technology involved in capturing CO₂ at the plant and combining it with hydrogen to create green Methanol- a renewable fuel source. The Ethanol industry is keenly seeking alternatives to CO2 pipeline proposals, which have faced opposition due to the use of eminent domain to gain access to privately held land for pipeline construction. CapCO2 CEO Jeff Bonar has been promoting his product as a solution to this issue by meeting with Ethanol plant owners, farmers, and other stakeholders in Iowa and Illinois.

Pipeline firms are aiming to sequester CO₂ underground while also planning to utilize CO₂ from Ethanol plants for other applications, such as jet fuel. CapCO2 Solutions, however, has proposed a different approach in which the CO₂ capture process will happen at the Ethanol plant site, eliminating the need to transport the CO₂ elsewhere. Polish firm Real Carbon Tech, which developed the technology employed by CapCO2 in the US, has constructed an innovative system housed in shipping containers that can be installed outside Ethanol plants. The system captures CO₂ emitted by the plant, compresses it, and then processes it with Hydrogen.

Methanol, a fuel that can replace diesel in some industries, is the focus of Danish shipping company Maersk. In November, they announced the need for 6 million tons of green Methanol each year to achieve their 2030 greenhouse gas emissions objective and even more by 2040 to reach net-zero emissions. CapCO2 and Adkins Energy plan to undertake a detailed techno-economic study this summer and anticipate operating the pilot project within six to twelve months. The eco-friendliness of Methanol depends on whether it is produced using Hydrogen made from renewable energy. The plant in Lena, located near the Byron Nuclear Generating Station, plans to collaborate with a local nuclear plant that provides large amounts of underutilized zero-carbon electricity, making green Hydrogen production more cost-effective. Methanol will be transported by rail, with CapCO2 Solutions securing a contract for transport in the coming months.