How it began
Carbon Recycling International built the George Olah Renewable Methanol plant between 2010 and 2012 at the geothermal resource park in Svartsengi, Iceland. Construction followed years of development that included a laboratory-scale pilot, catalyst testing, studies of synthesis conditions and fundraising. The company describes it as the first industrial-scale production facility ever built that used carbon dioxide waste gas as a resource for methanol production. It was named for the Nobel laureate chemist George A. Olah, who promoted methanol as an alternative energy carrier.
How it works
The plant takes carbon dioxide from the flue gas of an adjacent geothermal power plant and purifies it for synthesis. Hydrogen is made by splitting water with electricity in electrolyzers. After compression, the hydrogen and carbon dioxide are reacted over a catalyst to form methanol. The product is then purified and water is removed by distillation, using geothermal steam for heat. The company states that the only substances released are oxygen from electrolysis and treated water from distillation.
What changed first
The plant showed in an industrial setting that fuel could be made from captured carbon dioxide. The company lists it as the first power-to-liquids facility to use large-scale electrolysis and the first whose output received a recognized certification for carbon intensity and sustainability. An audit by SGS Germany under an ISCC protocol certified that its methanol can cut carbon dioxide emissions by 80 to 90 percent compared with a similar amount of fossil fuel.
What lasted
Four years after start-up, the modular design allowed capacity to be raised from 1,300 to 4,000 tons of methanol per year, which corresponds to recycling 5,500 tons of carbon dioxide. Experience from operating the plant let the company create a standard modular design with larger capacity for the needs of other industries.
