(379g) Integrated Production of Methanol and Hydrogen: A Decarbonization Framework for Petrochemical Industry

Methanol and hydrogen, regarded as cleaner fuel alternatives, present significant potential for reducing carbon emissions in the petrochemical industry. This research aims to establish a framework for process integration to concurrently produce methanol and hydrogen from vacuum residue while minimizing sulfur and carbon emissions. Two distinct process models were developed for this investigation. In the first scenario, vacuum residue undergoes gasification using oxygen and steam, resulting in syngas that is processed to yield both methanol and hydrogen. The second scenario follows a similar process model but places greater emphasis on methanol production from vacuum residue. Both models underwent comprehensive techno-economic comparison, considering factors such as methanol and hydrogen production rates, specific energy requirements, carbon conversion, CO2 emissions, overall process efficiencies, and project feasibility. The comparative analysis indicates that the second scenario, which prioritizes methanol production, offers several advantages. It reduces specific energy requirements by 86.01% compared to the first scenario and decreases CO2 emissions by 69.76%. Overall, the second scenario demonstrates superior project feasibility, exhibiting enhanced process performance and reduced production costs compared to the first scenario.