News Raw Materials
Sustainable methanol production from wet biomass under mild conditions
A newly proposed process converts wet biomass to renewable methanol at significantly reduced pressures and temperatures, delivering high efficiency at competitive costs.
A research team has proposed a novel process for converting wet biomass into renewable methanol. In contrast to conventional thermochemical routes, which require extreme operating conditions, the new method runs at pressures below 10 bar and temperatures around 200 °C.
The reaction proceeds via the previously underexplored intermediates formic acid and methyl formate, achieving high single-pass methanol yields.
Reading tip: Sustainability
Learn more about current approaches to produce coatings in a more environmentally friendly way and to give coated products a longer service life in the EC Tech Report Sustainability. In addition, its handpicked content dives deeply into the European Green Deal, its key points and main purpose as well as consequences for the coatings industry.
Flexible, decentralised and cost-competitive
The process is highly flexible with respect to biomass feedstocks and is particularly suitable for decentralised applications. By integrating biomass valorisation with hydrogen and oxygen from water electrolysis, the use of fossil-based reactants is eliminated, improving both sustainability and scalability.
A techno-economic assessment showed a carbon efficiency of 80 % and competitive production costs between EUR 0.69 and EUR 2.31 per kilogram – comparable to biomass gasification and power-to-methanol technologies. Although still at an early development stage, the process demonstrates strong potential for industrial implementation and to complement future sustainable methanol production.
Source: Green Chemistry, Issue 30, 2025
