Arizona State University Receives DOE Grant to Create Methanol with Direct Air Capture Technology
Recently, Arizona State University, in partnership with Air Company, was awarded nearly $400,000 from the Department of Energy to design a direct air capture to carbon-neutral methanol system called Air2Fuel. While methanol has long been a source of alternative fuel, the concept of creating this resource through direct air capture technology is still in a stage of infancy.
Methanol is known for being an excellent fuel for both internal combustion engines and fuel cells, and many in the renewable industry believe it has the potential to replace the current fossil fuel-based economy. Currently, the most efficient way to produce methanol is by steam-reforming natural gas to create a synthesis gas, which is fed into a reactor with a catalyst.
However, through its grant, Arizona State University hopes to create this resource using carbon dioxide pulled directly from the environment. Direct air capture allows CO2 to be captured independently from an emission source for use as a feedstock, in combination with hydrogen, in creating methanol.
“All living things are primarily made of carbon and therefore carbon has to be managed. Humankind requires carbon-based fuels and chemical feedstocks currently obtained from fossil fuels. Renewable methanol can easily replace fossil fuels without requiring major changes to our current chemical and transportation infrastructures,” said G.K. Surya Prakash, Professor and Director at the Loker Hydrocarbon Institute.
While this creation process would help significantly reduce the United States’ carbon footprint, carbon dioxide in the environment is extremely diluted, making direct air capture technology an energy-intensive process. To become more efficient, the process must be supported by an abundance of low-carbon energy sources and CO2 storage options.
If Arizona State University is able to manage this, it could successfully create an efficient process for producing methanol while reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
