CO2 abatement through a methanol production process

International audienceA CO2 to methanol process was simulated and optimized with Aspen Plus. The CO2 comes from the capture by chemical absorption from the flue gas of a coal thermoelectric plant. The thermoelectric plant provides electrical energy for CO2 capture and the methanol plant. Hydrogen is produced from the electrolysis of water using a carbon-free source of electricity. The methanol plant provides 46 % of the steam necessary for CO 2 capture, which remarkably reduces the impact of CO2 recovery on the performance of the thermoelectric plant. The CO2 balance showed that it is possible to abate a large amount of CO2 from the production of methanol if carbon-free hydrogen is available