Hydrogen Utilization in the Sustainable Manufacture of CO₂-Based Methanol

High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide Production of alternative CO 2 -based products may play a major role in decoupling fossil resources to the economy’s needs. CO 2 hydrogenation is one of the most readily operational CO 2 conversion pathways to produce chemicals. Beyond this, electrochemical, photoelectrochemical, and photochemical CO 2 conversion routes have gained attention as long-term direct conversion routes. This work analyzes under what conditions H 2 could be a sustainable intermediate vector in producing renewable hydrogen-based methanol (hMeOH) and compares it with the fossil-based (fMeOH) and the emerging electrochemical-based (eMeOH) routes. The technological and exogenous drivers are identified, and the trade-offs between alternatives are assessed under an integrated life cycle approach. The deployment of low carbon hMeOH is locally conditioned to use electricity with carbon intensities of 150 kg of CO 2e /MWh or lower. Higher electrolysis efficiency (>70%) and product concentration (>40 wt %) are needed in the eMeOH route to be competitive with the H 2 -based path. Substitution of fMeOH by wind-powered hMeOH could avoid substantial CO 2 emissions (−1.57 kg of CO 2e /kg) and fossil resources (−0.61 kg of oil eq /kg) but at the cost of almost triple the impact of land use.