CRI/Jiangsu Sailboat start up CO2-to-methanol plant in China
Iceland’s Carbon Recycling International (CRI) and Jiangsu Sailboat have successfully started up what they say is one of the world’s most efficient CO2-to-methanol plants. An opening ceremony took place recently at the Shenghong Petrochemical Industrial Park. This marks a significant milestone in the global effort to boost the production of sustainable methanol – a valuable fuel and chemical feedstock.
This collaborative project brought together teams from around the world, bringing the plant to life in under two years from contract signing. The project’s completion represents a truly global approach to tackling a shared environmental concern, with technical know how and technology first demonstrated in Iceland playing a vital role in this international solution, the companies add.
The methanol plant operates with CRI’s proprietary Emissions-to-Liquids (ETL) technology, transforming waste carbon dioxide and hydrogen gases into sustainable, commercial-grade methanol. The facility is built to recycle 150,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide sourced from waste streams at the large petrochemical complex each year, significantly reducing emissions that would have otherwise been released into the atmosphere.
The plant has the capacity to produce 100,000 tonnes/year of sustainable methanol – the second-largest CO2-to-methanol plant in the world. Used primarily to supply their olefins facility, this methanol will be used to produce chemical derivatives, including sustainable plastics and EVA coatings for solar panels. This will reduce the reliance on fossil-based methanol to drive more sustainable value chains and carbon footprint reduction initiatives across various sectors, such as industrial manufacturing and renewable energy.
Qian Xinhua, Vice President of Shenghong Petrochemical Industry Group, stated at the plant opening ceremony. “This green industrial value chain project is a significant step forward. It uses advanced green and low-carbon technology to capture carbon dioxide and turn it into a resource. Further implementation of such technology allows us to combine green hydrogen, renewable energy, and more to create new materials, replacing the traditional raw materials used in the chemical industry.”
With the start-up of the Sailboat plant, CRI’s ETL technology portfolio now has the capacity to recycle over 300,000 tonnes/year of CO2 (direct CO2). This is equivalent to the environmental impact of 15 million trees actively absorbing CO2 over the course of a year.
Björk Kristjánsdóttir, CEO of Carbon Recycling International, commented, “As a leading technology provider, we have the largest portfolio of reference plants using waste CO2 to produce sustainable methanol. This milestone plant not only expands the reach of our technology into new application markets but also showcases the broad versatility and unmatched efficiency of our ETL technology, proving the viability of large-scale sustainable methanol production.”
