Topsoe will license its SynCOR™ technology that – when combined with carbon capture and storage (CCS) – enables the production of blue methanol. The project, when operational will produce 3000 tpd of blue methanol.
Demand for methanol is increasing, the International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates that methanol demand is expected to grow to 120 - 150 million t by 2030. Today, methanol is primarily used within the chemical industry, but growing demand is coming from the shipping industry as it looks to lower emissions.
Henrik Rasmussen, Managing Director of Topsoe Americas, said: “We believe that blue methanol is a proven way for industries, like maritime shipping, to rapidly lower their emissions. SynCOR technology in combination with CCS is a cost-effective route to produce blue methanol at industrial scale. Topsoe’s collaboration with Energy Allied International has been going strong for almost a decade, and we are thrilled that they have chosen our technology for their first blue methanol project.”
Rod J. Ragan, CEO Sandpiper Chemicals, added: “Our team has worked with Topsoe on several global projects. Given our history of collaboration, Sandpiper is pleased to have Topsoe as our technology provider once again. With its advantaged location on the US Gulf Coast, our project is well positioned to meet the needs of our customers, both domestically and internationally”.
Blue methanol is a critical component of the energy transition. Blue methanol incorporates carbon capture technology to enable CO2 sequestration, making it a lower carbon intensity alternative to grey methanol. Due to the chemical structure of the methanol molecule, the remaining CO2 will eventually be emitted if used as a fuel.