Tuesday, July 17, 2018

Science & Technology: Methanol Produced by Geothermal Power Now Running British Cars

Your car could soon be powered by the fury of Icelandic volcanoes (Wired.co.uk)

Road to Methanol: Iceland’s Carbon Recycling International has pioneered a way to produce methanol fuel using renewable energy and waste CO2. A nearby geothermal power station supplies CO2 and electricity to the methanol plant and mineral-rich water to the famous Blue Lagoon spa [above]. Courtesy Carbon Recycling International.
Icelandic methanol made with waste CO2 from the power plant that supplies hot water to Blue Lagoon is already being blended with gasoline in the UK

To make it, the Carbon Recycling International (CRI) plant uses waste CO2 from the nearby Svartsengi geothermal power station that supplies hot water and energy to surrounding communities and waste water to the Blue Lagoon – postcard-perfect hot geothermal pool popular with bathers from around the globe.

Instead of releasing the CO2 directly into the atmosphere like most other power stations, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions, some of Svartsengi's gaseous waste is turned into methanol. The total amount of the Icelandic methanol now in the UK is enough to power 40 cars for a year.