Methanol+: A Carbon Negative Solution for Methanol Production
Quantiam’s game-changing Methanol+ technology package delivers a carbon negative solution to petrochemical and hydrogen production. Methanol+ consists of two interlocking technology thrusts: Solar Hydrogen and CO₂ Utilization. Solar Hydrogen uses a photoelectrochemical process technology to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. Our CO₂ Utilization technology combines proprietary catalyst materials and process conditions to produce methanol from captured carbon dioxide emissions, and Solar Hydrogen.
Though best together, these two technologies stand alone in their own right. The CO₂ Utilization technology remains net CO₂ negative and cost competitive even when hydrogen is produced via renewable energy powered electrolysis. The Solar Hydrogen technology will disruptively transform the hydrogen production industry with an emissions footprint approximately twenty times smaller than that of conventional hydrogen production. In tomorrow’s electricity grids, likely to contain significant fractions of intermittent renewable energy sources, green chemical fuels like methanol and hydrogen constitute the solution to key challenges in consistent energy production and storage.
Methanol+ is a sink for nearly 1.5 tonnes of CO2e per tonne of methanol produced, disrupting the traditional thinking that climate action and commercial success cannot move forward together. Methanol+ potentially delivers global greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions up to 14 MT/year by 2050 in the fuel additive and olefin production markets alone.
The Solar Hydrogen technology is being developed with the research group of Professor Jillian Buriak, Canada Research Chair in NanoMaterials at the University of Alberta.
Methanol+ was a CCEMC Carbon Grand Challenge Round One winner in 2014 and was awarded a $500,000 grant for initial Phase 1 of technology development. $650,000 of further funding for Phase 2 development to TRL5 was awarded under the NRCan Energy Innovation Program in 2017/18.
