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| CRI’s George Olah Renewable Methanol Plant in Svartsengi, near Grindavik, Iceland began production in late 2011 and was completed in 2012. |
Scientists are ramping up efforts to turn waste CO2 from industry into chemicals such as methanol in a bid to reduce emissions and provide a new source of raw materials for use in fuel, cement and food production.
It's part of a strategy to halt global warming by cutting down the amount of CO2 we vent into the air and then re-using it—a technique known as carbon capture and utilisation (CCU).
At a facility run by Carbon Recycling International (CRI) beside the picturesque Blue Lagoon in southwest Iceland, water, energy and waste carbon dioxide from a nearby geothermal power station [Svartsengi] are being used to make methanol, which can be blended with petrol to power cars or turned into a range of chemicals.
‘We take CO2 originally dissolved in the steam coming from underground and we re-use some of it as a raw material in our process,’ said Ómar Freyr Sigurbjörnsson, former research director and now head of sales and marketing at CRI.
From the Global Geothermal News archives:
- Tuesday, July 17, 2018 - Science & Technology: Methanol Produced by Geothermal Power Now Running British Cars
- Tuesday, June 5, 2018 - Science & Technology: Geothermal Power Helps in Carbon Dioxide-to-Methanol Process
- Friday, June 1, 2018 - Science & Technology: Geothermal Power Plant Supplies CO2 and Electricity to Produce Methanol
- Thursday, January 14, 2016 - Science & Technology: Geothermal Power Helps in Carbon Dioxide-to-Methanol Process
