Page 55 - European Energy Innovation magazine - autumn 2022 edition

Autumn 2022 European Energy Innovation
COMMUNICATION 55

use case, related to the European
methanol production capacity. The Figure 1: Illustration of ton CO avoided per ton product replaced in given
2
building material use case also use case (blue bars) and corresponding ton CO avoided per MWh renewable
2
shows a significant potential, based electricity in the production of the renewable alternative 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
on the availability of alkaline waste
material in Europe. As a yearly
renewable energy production of
3400 TWh is anticipated in Europe
by 2050 , the European marine
4
fuel use case becomes restricted
by its yearly renewable electricity
need of 1000 TWh.
It is clear that no unambiguous
selection of a viable scenario can be
made in this exercise, focusing on
only the CO reduction potential and
2
one use case, in extremis. A balanced
combination of different CCU
strategies is preferable. It starts from
the current and future availabilities
of renewable electricity as conditio
sine qua non, with deployments Figure 2: Illustration of the European CO avoidance potential (Mt/y) and
2
spread over time. The production corresponding renewable electricity use (TWh) 9, 10, 11, 12
of CO -based fuels with electrified
2
systems can support the renewable
energy transition in an energy
storage strategy. The production
of CO -based building materials is
2
a feasible short-term pathway, if
proper supply chains for alkaline
waste feedstock can be guaranteed.
In the meantime, opportunities arise
in the field of energy import, which
influences the boundary conditions
for CCU: Renewable electricity can
be produced in an economic feasible
way, at far locations in the world,
where solar and wind energy are
abundant. In such scenarios, CCU not
only serves as a storage strategy for Indeed, the role of methanol as fuel CCU within the Sustainable Transition
the low-carbon and low-cost energy, or platform chemical could then be Landscape not only rests on many,
but also facilitates its transport extended to an ‘easy-to-transport’ different pillars, but also on global
towards Europe, in the form of liquid energy carrier. Therefore, VITO trends and the dynamic nature of its
molecules with a high energy density. concludes that the positioning of boundary conditions. l

1) Anderson, K.; Peters, G., Science 354 (6309), 2016, 182–183.
2) https://iea.blob.core.windows.net/assets/181b48b4-323f-454d-96fb-0bb1889d96a9/CCUS_in_clean_energy_transitions.pdf
3) CRI process with 75% H prod. efficiency: 11.8 MWh/t MeOH and 1.38 t CO /t methanol [see (5)], incl. capture: heat use = 1178 MWh/t CO → 0.44 t/t methanol
2
2
2
@ 0.27 t CO /MWh, elec. use = 196 kWh/t CO , DSP = 0.33 t CO2/t methanol
2
2
4) Dechema Technology study (2017): Low carbon energy and feedstock for the European chemical industry
5( per t Carbstone: 480 kg SSS, 480 kg sand, 107 kg water, 92 kg CO , drying 63 kWh heat, mixing electricity 27 kWh, curing electricity 2 kWh , footprint
2
extracted from LNE study see below
6) https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-07/documents/emission-factors_2014.pdf, from CO2 emission factor list
7) https://www.egcsa.com/wp-content/uploads/CO -and-sulphur-emissions-from-the-shipping-industry.pdf, https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/co2-
2
emission-fuels-d_1085.html
8) LNE study (2016): Onderzoek naar mogelijk ondersteuningsbeleid m.b.t. nieuwe toepassingsmogelijkheden van CO2 als grondstof
9) https://www.concawe.eu/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/marine_factsheet_web.pdf
10) https://www.icis.com/explore/resources/news/2019/01/31/10313703/chemical-profile-europe-methanol , 2019 data.
11) https://www.eurofer.eu/assets/Uploads/European-Steel-in-Figures-2020.pdf , total slag utilization 34.1 Mt in 2019
12) https://www.science.org/content/article/industrial-waste-can-turn-planet-warming-carbon-dioxide-stone , extrapolation of 43.5% steel slag contribution
on global level to European market of alkaline waste materials (fly ash, cement waste, …) and taking into account a similar stoichiometry of alkaline waste/CO 2
in building material, as for the Carbstone building material
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