Beyond Oil and Gas: The Methanol Economy,Second Edition

Beyond Oil and Gas: The Methanol Economy......Page 5
Contents......Page 7
Preface to the Second Updated Edition......Page 13
Acronyms and Initialisms......Page 15
Units and their Abbreviations......Page 17
1 Introduction......Page 19
2 History of Coal in the Industrial Revolution and Beyond......Page 29
3 History of Petroleum Oil and Natural Gas......Page 37
3.1 Oil Extraction and Exploration......Page 41
3.2 Natural Gas......Page 42
4 Fossil Fuel Resources and Their Use......Page 47
4.1 Coal......Page 48
4.2 Petroleum Oil......Page 53
4.3 Unconventional Oil Sources......Page 57
4.3.1 Tar Sands......Page 58
4.3.2 Oil Shale......Page 59
4.4 Natural Gas......Page 60
4.5 Coalbed Methane......Page 67
4.7 Methane Hydrates......Page 68
4.8 Outlook......Page 71
5 Diminishing Oil and Natural Gas Reserves......Page 73
6 The Continuing Need for Carbon Fuels, Hydrocarbons and their Products......Page 83
6.1 Fractional Distillation......Page 86
6.2 Thermal Cracking......Page 87
7.1 Effects of Fossil Fuels on Climate Change......Page 95
7.2 Mitigation......Page 104
8.1 Introduction......Page 109
8.2 Hydropower......Page 111
8.3 Geothermal Energy......Page 116
8.4 Wind Energy......Page 120
8.5 Solar Energy: Photovoltaic and Thermal......Page 123
8.5.1 Electricity from Photovoltaic Conversion......Page 124
8.5.2 Solar Thermal Power for Electricity Production......Page 126
8.5.4 Solar Thermal Energy for Heating......Page 128
8.5.5 Economic Limitations of Solar Energy......Page 129
8.6.1 Electricity from Biomass......Page 130
8.6.2 Liquid Biofuels......Page 131
8.6.4 Advantages and Limitation of Biofuels......Page 135
8.7.1 Tidal Energy......Page 136
8.7.3 Ocean Thermal Energy......Page 138
8.8 Nuclear Energy......Page 139
8.8.1 Energy from Nuclear Fission Reactions......Page 141
8.8.2 Breeder Reactors......Page 146
8.8.3 The Need for Nuclear Power......Page 147
8.8.4 Economics......Page 148
8.8.5 Safety......Page 150
8.8.6 Radiation Hazards......Page 151
8.8.7 Nuclear By-Products, Waste and Their Management......Page 153
8.8.8 Emissions......Page 154
8.8.9 Nuclear Fusion......Page 155
8.9 Future Outlook......Page 158
9.1 Hydrogen and its Properties......Page 161
9.2 Development of Hydrogen Energy......Page 163
9.3 Production and Uses of Hydrogen......Page 166
9.3.1 Hydrogen from Fossil Fuels......Page 168
9.3.2 Hydrogen from Biomass......Page 169
9.3.4 Water Electrolysis......Page 170
9.3.5 Hydrogen Production Using Nuclear Energy......Page 173
9.4.1 Liquid Hydrogen......Page 174
9.4.2 Compressed Hydrogen......Page 176
9.4.3 Metal Hydrides and Solid Absorbents......Page 177
9.4.4 Other Means of Hydrogen Storage......Page 178
9.5 Centralized or Decentralized Distribution of Hydrogen?......Page 179
9.6 Hydrogen Safety......Page 181
9.7 Hydrogen as a Transportation Fuel......Page 182
9.8.1 History......Page 184
9.8.2 Fuel Cell Efficiency......Page 185
9.8.3 Hydrogen-Based Fuel Cells......Page 187
9.8.4 PEM Fuel Cells for Transportation......Page 191
9.8.5 Regenerative Fuel Cells......Page 193
9.9 Outlook......Page 195
10 The "Methanol Economy": General Aspects......Page 197
11.1 Background and Properties......Page 203
11.2 Chemical Uses of Methanol......Page 205
11.3.1 Development of Alcohols as Transportation Fuels......Page 207
11.3.2 Methanol as Fuel in Internal Combustion Engines (ICE)......Page 211
11.3.3 Methanol as Fuel in Compression Ignition (Diesel) Engines......Page 213
11.4 Dimethyl Ether as a Transportation Fuel......Page 215
11.5 DME Fuel for Electricity Generation and as a Household Gas......Page 218
11.6 Biodiesel Fuel......Page 220
11.8 Hydrogen for Fuel Cells Based on Methanol Reforming......Page 221
11.9 Direct Methanol Fuel Cell (DMFC)......Page 225
11.10 Fuel Cells Based on Other Methanol Derived Fuels and Biofuel Cells......Page 230
11.12 Methanol and DME as Marine Fuels......Page 231
11.13 Methanol and DME for Static Power and Heat Generation......Page 232
11.14 Methanol and DME Storage and Distribution......Page 234
11.15 Price of Methanol and DME......Page 237
11.16 Safety of Methanol and DME......Page 238
11.17 Emissions from Methanol- and DME-Powered Vehicles......Page 243
11.18 Environmental Effects of Methanol and DME......Page 245
11.19 Beneficial Effect of Chemical CO2 Recycling to Methanol on Climate Change......Page 248
12 Production of Methanol: From Fossil Fuels and Bio-Sources to Chemical Carbon Dioxide Recycling......Page 251
12.1.1 Production via Syn-Gas......Page 254
12.1.2.1 Steam Reforming of Methane......Page 257
12.1.2.3 Autothermal Reforming and Combination of Steam Reforming with Partial Oxidation......Page 258
12.1.3 Syn-Gas from Petroleum Oil and Higher Hydrocarbons......Page 259
12.1.5 Economics of Syn-Gas Generation......Page 260
12.2 Methanol through Methyl Formate......Page 261
12.3.1 Direct Oxidation of Methane to Methanol......Page 262
12.3.2 Catalytic Gas-Phase Oxidation of Methane......Page 263
12.3.3 Liquid-Phase Oxidation of Methane to Methanol......Page 265
12.3.4 Methane into Methanol Conversion through Monohalogenated Methanes......Page 267
12.3.5 Microbial or Photochemical Conversion of Methane into Methanol......Page 269
12.4 Methanol from Biomass, Including Cellulosic Sources......Page 270
12.4.1 Methanol from Biogas......Page 277
12.4.2.1 Water Plants......Page 279
12.4.2.2 Algae......Page 280
12.5 Chemical Recycling of Carbon Dioxide to Methanol......Page 282
12.5.1 Carbon Dioxide into Methanol Conversion with Methane......Page 284
12.5.2 CO2 Conversion into Methanol with Bi-reforming of Methane......Page 286
12.5.3 Dimethyl Ether Production from Syn-Gas or Carbon Dioxide......Page 287
12.5.4 Combining Chemical or Electrochemical Reduction and Hydrogenation of CO2......Page 289
12.5.5 Separating Carbon Dioxide from Industrial and Natural Sources for Chemical Recycling......Page 291
12.5.6 Separation of Carbon Dioxide from the Atmosphere......Page 293
13.1 Methanol-Based Chemical Products and Materials......Page 297
13.2 Methyl tert-butyl Ether and DME......Page 299
13.3 Methanol Conversion into Light Olefins and Synthetic Hydrocarbons......Page 300
13.4 Methanol to Olefin (MTO) Processes......Page 301
13.5 Methanol to Gasoline (MTG) Processes......Page 303
13.6 Methanol-Based Proteins......Page 305
13.7 Outlook......Page 306
14.1 Where We Stand Now......Page 307
14.2 The "Methanol Economy", a Solution for the Future......Page 309
References......Page 315
For Further Reading and Information......Page 335
Index......Page 345