🇸🇪 🇳🇴 The university signs a cooperation agreement with a Norwegian biofuel company

– It feels fantastically fun. Methanol is one of our most important basic chemicals with an annual production of approx. 110 million tonnes. In addition to traditional areas of use, methanol has already started to be used as ship fuel with rapidly growing interest and great potential, says Fredrik Granberg, project manager at the university and head of department for LTU Green Fuels.

Small proportion of renewable raw materials

Methanol is currently produced mainly from natural gas but also coal, while the share from renewable raw materials is very small. Methanol can, however, be efficiently produced via gasification of biomass and when hydrogen gas is supplied, the process can be made considerably more efficient. Methanol can also be produced from carbon dioxide and hydrogen.

– We have previously researched the advantages of the combination of biomass gasification with an additional supply of renewable hydrogen and are now working together for the possibility of demonstrating this. Methanol is an excellent hydrogen carrier and the collaboration also suits Luleå University of Technology’s hydrogen gas investment CH2ESS very well, says Fredrik Granberg.

Luleå University of Technology has long collaborated with RISE in a number of research and development projects at the test facilities at LTU Green Fuels in Piteå. Over the years, they have built up extensive knowledge and experience about pioneering technology for pyrolysis, gasification and methanol synthesis. Glocal Green, in turn, has worked to build a comprehensive value chain for large volumes of bio-waste towards a specified and clear market for bio-e-methanol, combined with hydrogen boosting.

Perfect match

– This is a perfect match and the letter of intent will lead to a comprehensive cooperation agreement where the parties will jointly research and develop the concept through testing and validation at the research and demonstration facility in Piteå. This will form the basis for scaled-up facilities for the commercial production of Bio-e-methanol both in Norway, Sweden and elsewhere, says Fredrik Granberg.

Glocal Green is also looking forward to an in-depth collaboration with Luleå University of Technology.

– We are very pleased to establish this collaboration which means faster development together with the best and most relevant expertise from Luleå University of Technology and RISE. The interaction between the parties will also contribute to the generation of ground-breaking and new knowledge about environmental and energy technology within academia and the research sector, says Dag Nikolai Ryste, CEO at Glocal Green.