Project launched to produce green methanol
A method for the production of green methanol is to be researched at the Leuna Chemical Park with a plant inaugurated on Monday. "The project represents a milestone for the post-fossil age in shipping and aviation," said Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) at the inauguration in the chemical park in the Saale district. Accordingly, the cost-effectively produced methanol could be a climate-neutral fuel alternative for container shipping, among other things.
The project, called "Leuna100", will reportedly receive a total of 10.4 million euros in funding from the Federal Ministry of Transport over the next three years. Wissing emphasized that Germany's economy is dependent on efficiency. Projects such as "Leuna100" are needed to ensure that climate protection targets are not neglected. 100 years ago, the chemical company BASF built the world's first methanol plant in Leuna.
According to the report, tankers, container freighters and cruise ships are currently responsible for just under three percent of global annual carbon dioxide emissions. A climate strategy adopted by the World Shipping Organization this summer stipulates that shipping should be climate-neutral by 2050.
The production of climate-neutral fuels is an important future market, said Saxony-Anhalt's Minister President Reiner Haseloff at the inauguration. "Because we know that electric drives are almost impossible to realize in this area, in contrast to the automotive sector," said the CDU politician. In the future, research will also be carried out in Leuna into whether green methanol can also be used in aviation.
The chemical park in Leuna covers an area of around 1,300 hectares. According to the state government, over 100 companies with around 12,000 jobs are located on the site. In addition to the Berlin start-up "C1 Green Chemicals AG", the Fraunhofer Institute and the Technical University of Berlin are also involved in "Leuna100".
The research on the production method of green methanol is centered around its potential as a cost-effective, climate-neutral fuel alternative for container shipping. This could significantly contribute to the shipping sector's goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2050, as stipulated by the World Shipping Organization's climate strategy. The production of green methanol is also being investigated for its potential use in aviation, recognizing that electric drives may not be feasible in this sector.
Source: www.dpa.com
