Carbon Recycling International Inc. (CRI) is an Icelandic renewable methanol company. Its emissions-to-liquid process uses carbon dioxide and water and electricity to create methanol fuel.^[2][3]

History

CRI, incorporated in 2006, was founded by Fridrik Jonsson, Art Shulenberger, Oddur Ingolfsson, and KC Tran.^[4] Partners include Olís, HS Orka, Grindavík municipality, Mannvit Engineering,^[5] and Innovation Center Iceland.^[6]

CRI's first commercial scale plant, the George Olah Plant (named after George Andrew Olah,^[7] the Nobel Prize Laureate), was completed in 2011.^[8]

Renewable methanol

Renewable methanol is methanol derived from renewable energy.^[9] It can be blended into transportation fuel or processed as a chemical feedstock. RM is also a viable input for biodiesel production. Fuel blends range from RM3 (3% methanol and 97% other) to RM100 (100% methanol with trace additives). High percentage blends can be used with flexible-fuel vehicles (FFVs), while low percentage blends can be used in existing cars.^[10] CRI is interested in increasing the number of flex-fuel cars in Iceland and supplying RM85.^[11]

Usage concerns

Alcohols, including methanol and ethanol, can be corrosive to certain materials in some vehicles. Replacement parts may be necessary for higher blends, but most modern cars are capable of using low blends of methanol.

Production

Production of renewable methanol is similar to that of conventional methanol, except that carbon dioxide is substituted for carbon monoxide and hydrogen is produced by electrolysis of water.

RM has no connection to agriculture, as water, electricity, and carbon dioxide are the primary inputs of its production process. Production of RM is less vulnerable to changes in feedstock prices.^[12]

Plants

The George Olah Plant, or the GO Plant, has a capacity of 5 million liters per year.^[13] It is located close to the Blue Lagoon and Svartsengi power station. The plant is expected to use around 10% of the carbon dioxide produced by Svartsengi power station.^[14]

Legislation

The European Union's renewable energy directives consider RM to be a renewable fuel, making it a candidate for the EU's renewable fuel blending mandates.^[15]

Impact

Carbon dioxide is a major component of global warming. By removing carbon dioxide from industrial emissions, CRI's process could help mitigate environmental impact. Renewable methanol burns cleanly as a fuel, but it has trace amounts of impurities.

CRI's process can also be used to store energy in the form of methanol, especially in cases where the energy source is inconsistent. For example, wind and solar power are irregularly available.^[16][17] Methanol is also a good energy carrier, being less volatile and easier to store than hydrogen.

Future projects

CRI plans to implement standardized CSPs (commercial scale plants), each with a capacity of 50 million liters per year.^[18]

CRI may build a 100 ML^[19] plant in Húsavík, having signed a memorandum of understanding with power company Landsvirkjun.^[20]

CRI has also entered into a memorandum of understanding with Altona Energy Plc. concerning a potential project using hydrogen byproduct as a feedstock.^[21]

See also

• Methanol economy

References

External links

• Methanol Institute