Recent trends in (commercial) power-to-methanol technology

Methanol based on CO 2 and H 2 produced from renewable energy is anticipated to be an important building block in a sustainable economy. While the synthesis of e-methanol looks similar to conventional methanol synthesis at a first view, important boundary conditions are different along the scale from catalyst to process level. Higher water contents affect catalyst stability, the synthesis from CO 2 shows lower equilibrium conversion and slower reaction kinetics, and relying on renewable energy sources forces decentralized small-to medium-scale production sites dealing with a fluctuating feed supply. With this review we illustrate the developments taken by well-known technology licensors to overcome the challenges in e-methanol production. We analyzed the publications and patents from nine major technology licensors covering the scale from catalysts, reactors, to overall processes. From published industry activities, we recognize technologies discussed in academia but not applied in industry. For commercialization of those, we identify open research topics.