In the United States (US) Fairway Methanol LLC, a 50-50 joint venture (JV) investment between Japan-headed Mitsui & Co., Ltd, and US-headed chemicals company Celanese Corporation, has decided to expand its methanol production capacity by purchasing and effectively utilizing carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted from nearby facilities at its Clear Lake, Texas (TX) location.
An error occurred
On your profile you can see what subscriptions you have access to and more information.
Is some of the information wrong – please contact our customer service.
Please reload the page
Do you want to read the whole article?
- Six editions per year
- Full access to all digital content
- The E-magazine Bioenergy international
- And more ...
The decision to expand its existing methanol production facilities was made to maximize the effective capacity of the existing 1.3 million tonnes per annum plant, and utilize carbon dioxide (CO2) sourced from neighboring plants will be used as the raw material for the plant’s newly added capacity.
This Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU) initiative, involves separating and effectively utilizing CO2 as a resource that can be reused as a material or fuel, thus realizing carbon recycling to reduce emissions into the atmosphere.
By utilizing this available CO2, the Fairway Methanol plant can increase annual methanol production capacity by around 130 000 tonnes.
Demand for methanol is expected to grow steadily in the future as a basic raw material for a variety of industries, including housing and construction materials, high-performance resins for automobiles and electronics, and pharmaceuticals.
Recently, methanol has also been attracting attention as a key chemical substance that can be sourced from carbon dioxide.
Mitsui has been engaged in the methanol trading business for a long time, and in addition to the business in North America where this expansion will take place, Mitsui is also involved in a methanol production business in Saudi Arabia.
Through the stable supply of methanol, Mitsui is supporting the development of a wide range of industries and contributing to the realization of a sustainable society.
Furthermore, to achieve Net-Zero Emissions by 2050, which is the target set in the company’s Medium-term Management Plan, it will “make use of our existing businesses and the know-how we have accumulated through them to promote initiatives to realize a decarbonized society.”
