Biomass/MSW Gasification to Methanol Production Process with Low-Cost Geologic Hydrogen Enhancement

The transition to low-carbon liquid fuels is essential for decarbonizing transportation and other hard-to-electrify sectors. Use of biomass feedstocks presents a potential renewable carbon pathway for producing low-carbon fuels or chemicals. These feedstocks include agricultural waste, forestry waste and municipal solid waste (MSW). However, the availability of these feedstocks can be limited, and they are inherently hydrogen-lean. Hydrogen enhancement of biomass feedstock gasification provides a way to increase the amount of liquid fuel produced per tonne of feedstock. It also enables a way to store and transport hydrogen and to use it for producing a liquid product. Geologic hydrogen opens up the possibility of low-cost and low-carbon hydrogen which could be significantly less expensive than electrolytic hydrogen from wind/solar power. This study is among the first to explore the technoeconomic potential of using geologic hydrogen to enhance biomass-to-methanol pathways. By utilizing geologic hydrogen, the H2/CO ratio of gasification synthesis gas (syngas) could be affordably adjusted towards optimal ratios for methanol synthesis. Methanol can be a particularly attractive product because it is the most easily and efficiently produced synthetic liquid fuel/ chemical that is produced from syngas. And it can be used directly for applications that include marine and truck transportation and also for chemical products. Methanol can also be converted into other fuels including DME, gasoline and sustainable aviation fuel. In addition, methanol could potentially be used as a means to much more easily transport geologic hydrogen from a remote location where it is produced to a location where it can be used as part of a product. Another option is the potential for co-location of geologic hydrogen with biomass feedstock, for example agricultural waste, as might be the case in US Midwest farming areas. Technoeconomic assessment is carried out to evaluate the potential benefits, feasibility and trade-offs of uses of geologic H2- enhanced biomass/MSW conversion to methanol.