China makes breakthrough in converting solar energy to liquid fuel

The main problem with all sources of green energy is their instability in power generation. Therefore, the industry is in dire need of efficient technologies for accumulating surplus generated energy in an easily accessible form. The most promising option is considered to be the conversion of green electricity into ecological fuel.

Scientists literally all over the world are working on the creation of such a technology. And a very real breakthrough in this direction was recently reported by Chinese scientists, who finally completed a project lasting twenty years.

New development of Chinese engineers

A reportage was released on Chinese national television highlighting the successful completion of the twenty-year a project in the course of which a plant was developed that converts electricity obtained from green sources into liquid fuel.

The engineers managed to create a plant that was able to synthesize a liquid product with a methanol concentration of 99.5% from "green" electricity.

Work within the framework of this project began back in 2001, and by the beginning of 2020, the main stages of the assembly of the experimental installation were completed.

So, according to scientists, one such plant is capable of producing up to 1,500 tons of methanol per year, while simultaneously converting up to 2,000 tons of CO2.

In this case, methanol is formed during the synthesis process from carbon monoxide and hydrogen on a catalyst. At the same time, hydrogen is produced by electrolysis of water, and it is for this process that the electricity obtained from green sources is used. At the same time, according to the data provided, the resulting ton of hydrogen is equivalent to energy reserves of 33 MW * h.

Prospects for new development

If successful in the large-scale use of the new development for the production of methanol, China can reduce CO2 emissions into the atmosphere (China accounts for 29% of global greenhouse gas emissions in atmosphere).

The use of methanol as a fuel instead of coal will also significantly reduce emissions of, for example, nitrogen oxides (by 90% at once). For what reason, the engineers of the Middle Kingdom chose methanol, it is not reported.

But we can assume that for the purpose of unification. Since the Chinese chemical industry annually consumes about 80 million. tons of methanol and a new source of demanded raw materials will obviously not be superfluous.

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