In Mannheim (Germany), the world’s first plant producing methanol from biogas from wastewater treatment plants started operating. The technology developed by the startup ICODOS allows wastewater to be converted into environmentally friendly fuel for shipping. However, the scale of production is still too small for the industry’s global transition to “green” methanol.
The Mannheim plant uses biogas from local wastewater treatment plants (EBS), which is converted into methanol using green hydrogen.
The process includes:
– Electrolysis – electricity splits water into hydrogen and oxygen.
– Carbonation – hydrogen reacts with CO₂ extracted from the biogas.
– Purification – the system removes excess CO₂, reducing emissions.
The resulting methanol is planned to be used as a carbon-neutral fuel for ships. However, current production volumes are extremely small:
– 50 liters per day – this is what the Mannheim 001 plant provides. To refuel one container ship (250,000 l/day) 5,000 such enterprises would be required.
– By 2026, a more powerful analogue (750 l/day) will be launched in France, but this will not solve the problem of fuel for shipping.
– There are 9,000 wastewater treatment plants in Germany, 75,000 in the EU. If they were connected to production, industry emissions could be reduced.
– Shipping emits 706 million tonnes of CO₂ annually (3% of global emissions), so finding alternatives to fuel oil and diesel is critical.
But there are problems:
1. Lack of raw materials – huge volumes of biogas are needed for scaling.
2. Energy costs – electrolysis requires a lot of “green” electricity.
3. Funding – the project is currently supported by a $2.2 million grant from the German government.
The German technology is an important step towards decarbonising shipping, but to make a real impact on the industry will require global adoption, investment and breakthroughs in efficiency. For now, methanol from wastewater is more suitable for local use, for example, in public transport.
Source: neftegaz.ru
Photo: icodos.com
