(153b) Electrification and Decarbonization Approaches for Low-Carbon Methanol Production

The transition towards sustainable value-added products and fuels is critical to tackle climate change, water scarcity, and the depletion of natural resources. A significant amount of stranded natural gas remains unrecoverable due to technological, economic, and regulatory constraints. The main objective of this study is to develop novel approaches to demonstrate the financial and environmental feasibility of producing low-carbon methanol. Three integrated system designs are proposed for electrifying and decarbonizing methanol production from stranded natural gas. These designs include a partial oxidation of methane plant, carbon capture unit (CCU), various energy sources and boilers, combined heat and power (CHP) system, electrolyzer, direct air capture unit (DAC), and desalination technologies. The performance of systems considering steam and electric requirements is evaluated by exploring various scenarios to find the optimal mix of solar, wind, and fossil fuel along with or without connecting to the local electric grid. These different hybrid energy systems will allow the integrated system to operate steadily by managing the dynamic variability of solar and wind energy. A multi-objective optimization is performed using critical variables tested by developing the techno-economic analysis (TEA) and life cycle assessment (LCA). A case study is presented for low-carbon methanol production in the Eagle Ford Basin in Texas. The optimal solution is determined to show the optimum energy combination, minimum production cost, maximum annual profit, and minimum carbon emission.