Methanol as a fuel: the future is coming today

At the Perm Engineering and Industrial Forum (PIPF-2023), Methafrax Group initiated the session Methanol is Russia's Fuel of the Future. Representatives of authorities, science and industrial enterprises - methanol producers - participated in the discussion.

Mr. Artur Smirnov, Director of the Chemical Industry Department of the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade, greeted the session participants via video link. In his speech he noted in particular, that the department considers it expedient to develop the methanol market increasing domestic consumption of this product including by expanding the areas of application and processing in the country as a whole. One of the promising areas for development of the methanol industry in the country is the use of methanol as an alternative fuel. The head of the specialized department of the Ministry of Industry and Trade told about the steps that have been taken and are planned in this direction:

"In September 2023 we had a working meeting to discuss the use of methanol as a railway fuel with the participation of methanol producers, JSC Russian Railways and locomotive manufacturers. The interest in the development of this area of methanol use was confirmed by all participants of the meeting, and a plan for further work was determined. A meeting on the use of methanol as marine fuel is planned with the participation of major Russian ship owners and shipbuilders. We will continue to work on expanding the use of methanol as a fuel", emphasized Artur Smirnov.

Evgeny Gavrilov, Director for Strategy and Investments of JSC Metafrax Chemicals, in his speech presented the world experience in the use of methanol as a marine fuel, fuel for public transportation and cars, generation of heat and electricity, as well as other areas.

- "Methanol as a marine fuel is not tomorrow, but today," said Evgeny Gavrilov. "According to the UN plan, by 2050 the global shipping industry should reach carbon neutrality. This means that every five years it is necessary to reduce emissions by ten percent. To achieve this goal, more and more methanol ships are being built. By 2027, more than 100 ships are already forecast, and by 2030 Maersk predicts that its fleet consumption alone will reach 6 million tons per year. This is more than all the installed methanol capacity in Russia. The use of methanol as a fuel for railroads, motor vehicles and in the energy sector is also developing in parallel".

Representatives of chemical enterprises ShchekinoAzot, EuroChem and UralChemSintez during the discussion expressed interest in the development of new areas of methanol use, including as a fuel, and spoke about their practices in this area.

Scientists from Bauman Moscow State Technical University (MSTU) and Perm National Research Polytechnic University (PNRPU) in their reports also confirmed the prospect of further developments in the use of methanol as a fuel and fuel additives.

"Methanol is a monomolecular fuel, so we can effectively control its combustion process," explained Dmitry Onishchenko, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor of the Department of Combined Engines and Alternative Power Plants at Bauman Moscow State Technical University. "It means that we can change the heat balance in a wide range depending on the operating conditions of the power plant. This is very important. The second task that we solve when using methanol as a fuel is to reduce the amount of emissions that are formed as a result of combustion of different types of molecules when using, for example, gasoline or diesel fuel".

The discussion was also attended by Daria Odinokova, marketing specialist of ShchekinoAzot, Viktor Makhachev, strategy manager of JSC EuroChem MCC, Evgeny Galtsev, commercial director of UralChemSintez LLC, Larisa Rudakova, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor, Head of the Department of Environmental Protection of PNRPU, and Vladimir Poilov, Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor of the Department of Chemical Technologies of PNRPU.

At the end of the discussion, Evgeny Gavrilov noted the wide interest in the topic of using methanol as a fuel, including not only in Russia, but also in the CIS countries, in particular, in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, and invited everyone to cooperate in this area.