Industrialising eSMR for Biomethanol Production

Project summary

The project aims to demonstrate the first-of-a-kind electrified steam methane reforming (eSMR) technology at an industrial scale, incorporating it in a bio-methanol plant. The reactor will sustainably produce syngas by utilising biogas or biomethane and CO₂ as feedstocks and electrical energy instead of thermal energy produced by fossil fuels. The syngas can then be used to produce chemicals like methanol, ammonia or hydrogen. The project will produce 150 tonnes of methanol per day, equivalent to more than 50,000 tonnes per year. This will lead to a 95% avoidance of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions compared to the reference scenario.

eReform will showcase several innovations. It will upscale the biomethanol production from current prototype level volumes of a few hundred kilogrammes to 150 tonnes per day. At the same time, the reactor size of electrified SMR will be 100 times smaller than traditional SMR reactors, with significantly improved energy and catalyst efficiency. The new design will significantly reduce the use of the biogas feedstock. It is estimated that on an annual basis, 76,000 tonnes of CO₂ will be avoided, equivalent to the annual emission of more than 45,000 fossil-fuel cars.

The project will contribute to the European Green Deal by pioneering a technology that reduces the energy needed to produce chemical products and the process's carbon footprint. Thus, eReform will participate in pursuing carbon neutrality by 2050 and achieving Europe's strategic autonomy in energy.

The successful demonstration of this low-carbon methanol production plant will strengthen Europe's technology and market leadership in SMR solutions, which are recognised as an essential step in the chemical sector to lower emissions. In parallel, eReform will also contribute to safeguarding and even expanding the sector's highly skilled workforce.

Coordinator's contact details

• Name: Gasnor AS
• Country: Norway
• Phone: +47 815 20 080
• Email: post@gasnor.no

List of participants (beneficiaries)

• FlexFuels AS (Norway)

Project results

The project is currently in the early development phase, with activities focused on completing the necessary technical and economic studies, and securing all required permits. Project results will be shared here once available.