Methanol Synthesis from Syngas: a Process Simulation

EasyChair Preprint 6636

Abstract

The increasing environmental problems due to the excessive use of fossil fuels have led to implementing laws and agreements to limit global Green House Gas (GHG) emissions. Lignocellulosic biomass and biomass waste can be converted into value-added chemicals and biofuels via thermochemical or biochemical conversion. Among the different thermochemical conversion technologies, gasification is considered the cost-effective and efficient technology for lignocellulosic biomass. Gasification of biomass gives a product gas mainly consisting of syngas (CO, H₂). After gas cleaning and conditioning, the syngas obtained from biomass gasification can be used for the production of biofuels and chemicals such as methanol. Methanol is one of the important industrial chemicals that can be used directly as a fuel or can be blended into conventional fuels. A process simulation model is developed in Aspen Plus to study the conversion of syngas into methanol. A CSTR reactor was modeled with three gas-phase exothermic reactions. The product from the reactor is depressurized to separate gad from the liquid. The liquid enters into the distillation column to give CH₃OH in the distillate and the water in the bottom. Recycle stream of hydrogen is chosen to increase the overall conversion of the syngas into methanol.

Keyphrases: Syngas, clean energy, methanol synthesis, process simulation

@booklet{EasyChair:6636,
  author    = {Ramesh Timsina and Rajan Kumar Thapa and Britt Margrethe Emilie Moldestad and Marianne Sørflaten Eikeland},
  title     = {Methanol Synthesis from Syngas: a Process Simulation},
  howpublished = {EasyChair Preprint 6636},
  year      = {EasyChair, 2021}}