Title:
Towards the Commercialization of Decentralized Methanol Production from Biogas
Author(s):
Fritsch, C., Yildirim, F., Beer, J., Hammerschick, L., Gradel, A.
Document(s):
Paper
Abstract:
The expiration of Renewable Energy Act (EEG) subsidies for a large fraction of Germany's approximately 9,000–10,000 biogas plants necessitates viable alternative business models for operators. The BioMeSyn project addresses this by developing a modular, container-based process concept for decentralized methanol (MeOH) synthesis from biogas, targeting small- to medium-scale producers at a nominal throughput of ~300-700 Nm³/h biogas. The inherent hydrogen deficiency of biogas-derived synthesis gas relative to stoichiometric MeOH synthesis requirements is addressed through power-to-X integration, whereby electrolytically produced H2 augments the make-up gas composition to achieve near-complete carbon conversion. While this substantially improves resource efficiency, the associated energetic and economic constraints of electrolysis integration constitute the primary techno-economic limiting factor and are discussed quantitatively. A complementary techno-economic and life-cycle assessment benchmarks the MeOH pathway against alternative valorization routes, yielding production costs of 600–1,300 €/t MeOH and carbon intensities below 0 kg CO2/kg MeOH. These results substantiate the technical and economic feasibility of the proposed concept, providing a quantitative foundation towards real-world application of decentralized thermochemical biogas conversion systems.
Keywords:
biogas, economics, modelling, thermochemical conversion, decentralized generation
Topic:
Biomass Conversion to Intermediate Bioenergy Carriers and Sustainable Biofuels
Subtopic:
Biofuels and Synthetic fuels from biomass and hydrogen
Event:
34th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition
Session:
5DO.6.2
Pages:
763 - 773
ISBN:
978-88-89407-27-1
Paper DOI:
10.5071/34thEUBCE2026-5DO.6.2
Price:
FREE
