Well-to-Pump life cycle Assessment of methanol derived from high ash Coal, natural Gas, and municipal solid waste

Abstract

With growing energy needs and the increasing threat of climate change, it becomes necessary to study the impact and feasibility of alternative fuels compared to conventional fossil fuels. One such alternative fuel is Methanol, which is also used widely in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. It can be blended with gasoline/ diesel or used as 100% Methanol. Conventionally, Methanol is produced from natural gas. This pathway’s viability is investigated in the Indian context and compared with other pathways in this study. This study assesses the life cycle environmental and economic impact of Methanol production (by thermal partial oxidation methods) from municipal solid waste and high-ash Indian coal. It shows insights into integrating green hydrogen produced from the electrolysis of water using renewable energy (solar photovoltaic, in this study) pathways. This study considers seven scenarios based on feedstocks, integration of green hydrogen and the avoided emissions from the municipal solid waste. Using municipal solid waste with green hydrogen integration is found to have a positive environmental impact by reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 2.4 times compared to natural gas, which is a positive step in the direction of attaining “Net Zero” goals. The high-ash coal pathway without green hydrogen integration exhibited the most environmental impact (∼2.9 times compared to natural gas). The high ash coal pathway emissions could be reduced by 86% from the current scenario by integrating green hydrogen into the production stage, bringing the overall emissions to a level comparable to the natural gas pathway.