CO2SER

This project tries to provide alternatives in the methanol synthesis process that make better use of CO₂ from other production processes and achieve potential chemical storage for future surplus hydrogen from renewable sources.

In the project, the use of a new kind of fluidized bed reactors with continuous flow of sorbent is proposed, which allow reaching high conversions of the reagents and operate in steady state. These reactors would improve the yield in comparison with other processes described in the literature. To verify it, all scientific studies will be carried out that serve to improve, optimize and model the results obtained experimentally in the methanol synthesis reaction.

The strategy to synthesize methanol in CO2SER is focused in two lines: 

• use of fluidized bed reactors adding and removing continuously a sorbent, to carry out the catalytic reaction, increasing the yield compared with conventional reactors and with steady state operation 
• modelling and optimization of the process and techno-economic analysis.

Methanol obtained by hydrogenation of CO₂ will be a new product in the market. The development of a new process for the production of renewable methanol, as is the aim of this project, would constitute a drastic change in the available technologies for the production of renewable fuels. If a significant reduction in the capital costs (CAPEX) and operation costs (OPEX) is achieved in the production of renewable methanol, as is the aim of CO2SER, a great improvement in the competitiveness of this fuel would be achieved and therefore would favor greatly the energy transient from an economy based in fossil fuels to an economy based in renewable energy.