Decarbonisation Technology May 2025 Issue

HEFA process

Gasied MSW & waste biomass Waste oils, fats & greases Ethanol production

Honeywell UOP

Ethanol

Ethanol - to - jet process

Honeywell UOP

SAF

Syngas

Methanol

eFining

Honeywell UOP

Bio methanol process

FT crude

FT uni-

Biomass & biobased processes

FT CANS

Honeywell UOP

Renewable diesel

cracking

CO emitting industries CO direct air capture

eMERALD methanol HyCOgen FT CANS

Methanol

FT crude

Renewable naphtha

JM catalyst & technology areas Honeywell UOP catalyst & technology areas

Honeywell UOP

Power Water

Renewables, solar, wind power & water

Electrolysis

Figure 2 Different routes to producing SAF

Methanol-to-jet value chain Production of methanol

electrolyser capacity needed upstream of the e-methanol plant. The flowsheet is designed based on JM’s tube cooled converter (TCC). The methanol synthesis reaction is equilibrium-limited; therefore, a high circulation loop is key to maximising feed efficiency (Longland & Cassidy, 2023) . JM’s TCC is well suited to a high circulation loop as it uses a catalyst in shell design, which facilitates high circulation rates while managing the pressure drop across the catalyst. The eMERALD flowsheet features a high degree of heat integration, reducing the need for external heating and helping to drive down operating costs while ensuring reliable production. Together with eMERALD 201, a catalyst designed to enhance hydrothermal stability and extend catalyst life, the eMERALD flowsheet reduces the levelised cost of methanol production by 9% (compared with a baseline 100 ktpa plant in China), making sustainable methanol projects more financially viable. Finally, the eMERALD flowsheet is well placed to cope with the additional demands arising from the intermittent nature of renewable electricity required for e-methanol production, seamlessly managing hydrogen intermittency and enabling flexible operation. Technology in action The world’s first CO₂-to-methanol plant was completed in 2012, with its first phase built under

Methanol can be produced through various routes from different feedstocks, as shown in Figure 3 . Renewable methanol made from waste, biomass, or green hydrogen can reduce the cradle-to-gate lifecycle emissions of methanol when compared with fossil-based methanol (Johnson Matthey, 2025) and is a key solution to decarbonising hard-to-abate transport sectors such as aviation and shipping. JM’s eMERALD technology produces renewable methanol from green hydrogen and biogenic CO₂ and is engineered to maximise the feedstock efficiency of the highly valuable green hydrogen, contributing to the smaller

Coal

Gasication

CO H

Natural gas

Reforming Synthesis gas

Methanol synthesis

Methanol

Waste/ biomass

CO + H

Gasication

Figure 3 Summary of methanol production using different feedstocks