A Review of Green Methanol Production: Technologies, Economic Evaluation, and Carbon Emission Analysis

Abstract

Green methanol is a low-carbon and environmentally friendly methanol produced from renewable energy or biomass resources. As a leading alternative clean fuel, it can make it possible to achieve zero carbon emissions. Presently, the mainstream technology for the green methanol production includes CO₂ capture coupled with green hydrogen (G-H₂) to methanol, biomass gasification to methanol, and biomass gasification coupled with G-H₂ to methanol. Although there have been many reports on the technical advantages and disadvantages of the above-mentioned processes, there is still a lack of relevant guiding strategies on how to select the appropriate technical processes for large-scale production based on local conditions. To this end, the study establishes a three-dimensional “Technology-Economy-Environment” evaluation system and a full-chain carbon emission model covering “material production-synthesis-transportation-utilization” to summarize the technological developments, production costs, and carbon emission reduction potential across various methanol production pathways in detail. This work aims to provide a theoretical reference for optimizing industrial layouts and enhancing green methanol’s role in the global energy transition.