A Review of The Methanol Economy: The Fuel Cell Route

Abstract

This review presents methanol as a potential renewable alternative to fossil fuels in the fight against climate change. It explores the renewable ways of obtaining methanol and its use in efficient energy systems for a net zero-emission carbon cycle, with a special focus on fuel cells. It investigates the different parts of the carbon cycle from a methanol and fuel cell perspective. In recent years, the potential for a methanol economy has been shown and there has been significant technological advancement of its renewable production and utilization. Even though its full adoption will require further development, it can be produced from renewable electricity and biomass or CO2 capture and can be used in several industrial sectors, which make it an excellent liquid electrofuel for the transition to a sustainable economy. By converting CO2 into liquid fuels, the harmful effects of CO2 emissions from existing industries that still rely on fossil fuels are reduced. The methanol can then be used both in the energy sector and the chemical industry, and become an all-around substitute for petroleum. The scope of this review is to put together the different aspects of methanol as an energy carrier of the future, with particular focus on its renewable production and its use in high-temperature polymer electrolyte fuel cells (HT-PEMFCs) via methanol steam reforming.

Energy storage usages: Engineering reactions,economic‐technologicalvalues for electric vehicles—A technological outlook

“…It is the key enabler for exporting renewables. Researchers are a strong emphasis on the use of methane 146 and ammonia 147 as a green alternative fuel as a way of obtaining safe and easy to ship and distribute energy supplies.…”

System Design and Modeling of a High Temperature PEM Fuel Cell Operated with Ammonia as a Fuel

“…In a methanol-based system, the fuel is first reformed into a hydrogen rich gas mixture that contains CO 2 , traces of CO, and unconverted methanol before entering the fuel cell unit. The heat required for the reforming process is supplied by a burner, which is first fed with a separate flow of methanol dedicated to the combustion reaction during the startup phase and then successively sustained by the anode off-gas [4]. In the current work, a similar approach was considered, where ammonia is first decomposed, and the resulting hydrogen-nitrogen mixture is fed to the fuel cell.…”

“…In the current work, a similar approach was considered, where ammonia is first decomposed, and the resulting hydrogen-nitrogen mixture is fed to the fuel cell. The main challenge, compared to the methanol-based system, is the higher operating temperature of the ammonia decomposition reactor, which ranges between 550-900 °C [13,29], compared to the relatively low methanol steam reforming reactor of around 200-300 °C [4]. These higher operating temperatures require an optimized and innovative energy balance strategy.…”

“…In comparison with methanol reforming, which is characterized by a complex system of three reactions; methanol steam reforming, methanol decomposition, and water gas shift [45], ammonia decomposition is given by the single equilibrium reaction given by Equation (4). Hence, while in the case of methanol reforming, a compromise is necessary among the different contaminants of the reformate gas depending on the reforming temperature and reactants flowrates, complete ammonia decomposition has the potential to provide clean hydrogen.…”

“…Another solution is to store and transport hydrogen indirectly in the chemical bonds of other chemicals, thereby increasing volumetric energy density and, consequently, transportability. Methanol and ethanol are some of the most common examples of such hydrogen rich alcohols, where hydrogen is chemically bonded with carbon, also known as carbon-based fuels [4][5][6]. An issue Pt/C anode catalyst and reacts with the acidic Nafion membrane [15,16].…”