Syllabus
GS Paper 3 – Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.
Context
The power of green methanol | The Hindu Business line
What is Methanol?
- Methanol, also known as methyl alcohol and wood spirit, is an organic chemical and the simplest alcohol.
- A colorless liquid, that is light, volatile, and flammable with a distinctive alcoholic odour similar to that of ethanol.
- Methanol is water-soluble and readily biodegradable.
- Methanol is extremely poisonous.
About 60 to 240 milliliters can be deadly for an adult. Blindness is common and often permanent despite medical care. It is the presence of Methanol that causes hooch tragedies.
How to Produce Methanol?
- Natural Gas: This process involves steam-reforming natural gas to create a synthesis gas, which is then fed into a reactor with a catalyst to produce methanol and water vapor.
- Coal: In some countries like China, methanol is produced from coal.
- Biomass: Through a process known as gasification, which involves converting organic materials into synthesis gas followed by conventional methanol synthesis.
- Renewable Sources like renewable natural gas, biomass, and green hydrogen combined with recycled carbon dioxide can be used to produce Methanol.
- Carbon Dioxide and Hydrogen Methanol can be synthesized from CO2 (carbon dioxide) and hydrogen.
Methanol as Fuel:
- Blended with Petrol and other alcohol fuels: Low blends of methanol can be used in the existing fleet of vehicles without any modifications.
- Flex-Fuel Vehicles: Different blends of methanol can be used in flex-fuel vehicles, which are designed to run on a mixture of petrol a blend of up to 85% methanol.
- Neat Fuel: Methanol can also be used as a neat fuel (100% methanol), but this requires modifications to conventional engines.
- Fuel Cells: Methanol can be used as a power source in fuel cells. Fuel cells convert the chemical energy from a fuel into electricity through a chemical reaction with oxygen or another oxidizing agent.
- Marine Fuel: Methanol is increasingly being adopted as a marine fuel due to its environmental and economic advantages.
Benefits of Methanol:
- Efficiency: Methanol is a highly efficient fuel. Produces horsepower equivalent to that of super high-octane gasoline
- Lower Emissions: It emits lesser NOx, PM, and no SOx. Methanol would drastically reduce carbon emissions anywhere from 65 to 95 percent, depending on how it’s produced.
- Renewable: Methanol can be produced using only renewable resources, such as sun, wind, and biomass.
- Lower Production Costs: Methanol is cheap to produce relative to other alternative fuels.
- Improved Safety: Methanol has a lower risk of flammability compared to gasoline.
- Compatibility with Existing Infrastructure: With minor retrofits, methanol can be used with existing infrastructure.
NITI Aayog’s Methanol Economy Programme
This is a strategic initiative aimed at reducing India’s oil import bill, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and converting coal reserves and municipal solid waste into methanol.
Key highlights of the programme include:
- Blending of 15% methanol in gasoline can result in at least 15% reduction in the import of gasoline/crude oil.
- Methanol Economy will create close to 5 million jobs through methanol production/application and distribution services.
- Rs 6000 crore can be saved annually by blending 20% DME (Di-methyl Ether, a derivative of methanol) in LPG.
- The Bureau of Indian Standards has notified 20% DME blending with LPG, and a notification for M-15, M-85, M-100 blends has been issued by the Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways.
- NITI Aayog has drawn out a roadmap to substitute 10% of Crude imports by 2030, by Methanol alone.
Challenges Before India’s Methanol Economy:
- Lack of Domestic Natural Gas Resources: India has limited natural gas resources, which are a primary feedstock for methanol production. But, India can explore alternatives such as high ash coal and low-grade biomass.
- High Ash Coal and Low-Grade Biomass: While these resources are abundant in India, using them for methanol production requires investment in advanced technologies to reduce emissions and processing costs.
- Infrastructure Development is needed for the production, storage, transportation, and utilization of methanol.
- Policy and Regulatory Framework is needed to promote the use of methanol as a fuel.
- Research and Development efforts can focus on improving the efficiency and environmental sustainability of these processes.
- Costs of New Technology needed for Methanol require large investments and implementing it in a nation as big as India it still is a daunting task.
Steps to Boost India’s Methanol Economy:
- Developing Novel Catalysts and Processes to enhance methanol production efficiency and sustainability.
- Promoting Methanol as Marine Fuel due to its environmental and economic advantages.
- Introducing Methanol-Based Fuel Cells that convert the chemical energy from a fuel into electricity through a chemical reaction with oxygen or another oxidizing agent.
- Encouraging Methanol-Powered Vehicles to promote the use of methanol in various sectors, including road transport, rail, marine, energy production (e.g., DG sets and boilers), tractors, commercial vehicles, and retail cooking.
- Expanding Distribution Network and Infrastructure for the production, storage, transportation, and utilization of methanol.
- Creating Awareness and Incentives: There is a lack of awareness among the public about the benefits of methanol as a fuel. Public acceptance is crucial for the successful implementation of the methanol economy.
Source: The Hindu
Practice Question
Explore the significance and practicality of methanol production in the context of the Indian economy. (Answer in 250 words)