BASF aims for industrial scale CO2-free methanol production

LONDON (ICIS)–BASF has developed a carbon dioxide (CO2) neutral process to produce methanol and will apply for a patent, the Germany chemicals major said on Friday.

While the method has only been tested in a pilot plant at BASF’s subsidiary hte GmbH in Heidelberg, Germany, the chemicals major was confident that industrial applications could guarantee CO2-free methanol.

The production processes of the most important basic chemicals are responsible for around 70% of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the chemical industry, according to figures by BASF.

In Europe, methanol is mostly produced from syngas, primarily obtained from natural gas via steam and autothermal reforming.

BASF’s greener process for production of methanol has been included under the company’s so-called Carbon Management Program.

The producer is confident the new methanol production process will open up a “new chapter” for the basic chemical.

“Nearly 100 years after the first industrial-scale production of this important basic chemical using BASF’s high-pressure process, we are now taking a leading role in writing the newest chapter in the history of methanol,” said Maximilian Vicary, project manager at BASF’s Intermediates division.

Methanol is primarily used to produce formaldehyde, methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) and acetic acid. Smaller amounts go into production of dimethyl terephthalate (DMT), methyl methacrylate (MMA), chloromethanes, methylamines, glycol methyl ethers, and fuels applications such dimethyl ether (DME), biodiesel and the direct blending into gasoline.

Additional reporting by Vicky Ellis

Clarification: Re-casts third paragraph