Innovation Anthology #737:
Methanol is used as fuel and also in the manufacture of polymers, paints and glues.
But it has a pretty heavy environmental footprint.
Now an Edmonton company, Quantiam Technologies, is developing a clean way to make methanol from captured carbon dioxide and hydrogen.
As Dr. Peter Unwin explains, this project is one of 24 supported by the Climate Change and Emissions Management Corporation’s Grand Challenge.
DR PETER UNWIN: Conventionally, methanol is produce in large plants from natural gas. And the natural gas is first turned into a mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide which is called SYNGAS. And then this SYNGAS is converted into methanol at high pressures and it produces about ¾ of a tonne carbon dioxide emissions for every tonne of methanol that you make. So we’re developing here at Quantiam a catalytic technology which will produce methanol from carbon dioxide captured from the air or industrial smokestacks and from renewable hydrogen which will be produced by splitting water using sunlight.
According to Dr. Peter Unwin, University of Alberta solar expert Dr. Jillian Buriak is working on the new hydrogen catalyst technology.
Thanks today to the CLIMATE CHANGE AND EMISSIONS MANAGEMENT CORPORATION.
FOR INNOVATION ANTHOLOGY
I’M CHERYL CROUCHER
Guest
,
, , , ,
Sponsor
Climate Change and Emissions Management Corporation
Program Date: 2015-12-03