Waste to Green Methanol
Technology & Process – From Waste to Green Methanol
Proven Technology. Scalable Design. Zero Landfill.
Desert Power® Ver. 2.0 is based on robust, field-tested technologies that convert Refuse-Derived Fuel (RDF) and Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) into clean synthesis gas and ultimately into certified methanol. The process is modular, high-temperature, and feedstock-tolerant — designed for reliability, efficiency, and environmental compliance.
The plant operates in three core steps:
- Gasification – Converting waste into synthesis gas (syngas)
- Gas conditioning – Optimizing hydrogen content via Water-Gas Shift (WGS)
- Methanol synthesis – Catalytically converting syngas into methanol
1. Waste Gasification – The Oxygen Blast Furnace
|
|
| Principle: Oxygen-blown blast furnace with gasification zone temperatures reaching 2,200 °C | Workshop: Preparation of the Gasification Zone for installation in a 20 MTPD gasifier |
At the heart of Desert Power® is an oxygen-blown blast furnace, based on FastOx® technology developed by Sierra Energy. Unlike conventional incineration or low-temperature gasifiers, this system operates at 2,200°C, ensuring complete thermal breakdown of the waste material into clean gas.
The furnace accepts mixed RDF and MSW with minimal pre-treatment. It contains no moving parts or grates in the high-temperature zone, making it highly resilient to feedstock variation. The result is a consistent flow of syngas composed primarily of CO, CO₂, and H₂.
2. Water-Gas Shift (WGS) Reactor – Hydrogen Enhancement
To optimize the syngas for methanol synthesis, it passes through a Water-Gas Shift reactor where carbon monoxide reacts with steam to form carbon dioxide and additional hydrogen. This step increases the H₂/CO ratio, ensuring an ideal stoichiometric balance for downstream conversion.
This stage also produces a clean, process-separated CO₂ stream — suitable for carbon sequestration or reuse in additional methanol synthesis.
3. Methanol Synthesis & Recovery
|
| George Olah Renewable Methanol Plant |
The conditioned syngas is compressed and fed into a methanol synthesis loop, operating at moderate temperatures and elevated pressure . Here, a catalyst enables continuous conversion of syngas into raw methanol.
The crude methanol is then purified through distillation to achieve 99.85% purity, compliant with both IMPCA specifications and ISCC certification. The final product is ready for direct use in shipping, blending, or chemical markets.
4. Timeline
Environmental Performance
- No landfill: The only solid by-product is vitrified slag — inert, non-leaching, and reusable.
- Low parasitic load: The system powers itself using a portion of the syngas.
- CCS-ready: Clean CO₂ stream available for sequestration or hydrogenation.
This configuration ensures full carbon utilization, minimal waste, and excellent scalability — from 100 MTPD units to thousands of tons per day, without requiring fundamental technology changes.
Summary
Desert Power® Ver. 2.0 integrates best-in-class technologies into a single process that turns waste into green methanol at industrial scale — with zero landfill, strong energy performance, and the flexibility to meet future carbon market demands.
To learn more about financials and project roadmap, continue to the Executive Summary.
See also: → Our engineering and EPC partners
Kommentarer
Send en kommentar