Production of Methanol From Natural Gas

In addition to its use as a feedstock for several different products, methanol may be a promising transportation fuel. Production of methanol from natural gas involves creation of an intermediate product and purification of raw methanol.

Synthesis Gas

Methane, the main component of natural gas, is "reformed" by reaction with water, and sometimes oxygen, to synthesis gas, or syngas, which contains carbon monoxide and hydrogen. Since this step requires the most energy and cost, research has focused on making this step more efficient or eliminating it altogether.

Methanol Synthesis

Synthesis gas is converted to a mixture of methanol and other substances with the use of a catalyst at low temperature and high pressure. Several different reactor designs exist to deal with the large amount of heat produced during this process while keeping the reaction temperature relatively low.

Purification

The raw methanol produced in this manner also contains water, dissolved gases and trace byproducts. The design of this step to remove all or some of these other substances depends on how the methanol will be used once it's purified.

References

• Haldor Topsoe: Large Scale Methanol Production from Natural Gas
• Technology Review: Methanol - The New Hydrogen
• New Zealand Institute of Chemistry: The Production of Methanol and Gasoline

Resources

• Methanol Institute: Methanol Production