CapCO2 Solutions Signs MOU with Methylennium Energy for Green Methanol Production

(CapCO2 Solutions/Ethanol Producer Magazine) CapCO2 Solutions is excited to announced that we have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Methylennium Energy. Our CO2 capture and upgrade focus addresses the urgent need of ethanol plants to decarbonize – cutting their carbon intensity (CI) score in half while also adding $50 million in new revenue for each ethanol plant. We do all this without the use of eminent domain.

Green methanol is a new bio-based product (like ethanol) critical to the climate transition. Green methanol will replace fossil fuel in the shipping industry, and provide a starting point for a wide range of zero-carbon products like rigid plastics, seat covers, disposable diapers and more. Green methanol is also a crucial part of the emerging Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) supply chain. Green methanol fuel is transported by rail or over the road by trucks to the customer.

Crucial to the CapCO2 mission is the value we provide to ethanol plants: we capture their waste CO2 and use it to make the green methanol. Green methanol is a new and additional product for the ethanol plant. And the ethanol made on-site then qualifies as low-carbon. Low carbon ethanol sells for a 15-20% premium over regular ethanol, and makes the ethanol qualified for use in SAF. There is a huge value-add to the ethanol plant, new jobs for the local community, and reducing carbon emissions for the planet.

This collaboration is a valuable step forward for both companies. CapCO2 Solutions CEO Jeff Bonar explains, “We needed a company with technical, commercial, and business experience, ready and able to deliver a complete green methanol solution. Methylennium’s 15 years of experience with compact and efficient methanol equipment, their depth with the leveraging renewable energy, and their real world delivery experience are the perfect package. We are excited to bring MLE to the ethanol industry, allowing them to cut their CI score in half and bring new revenues.”

Max Lyubovsky, president and CEO of Methylennium Energy, is also excited to take the next steps with carbon capture and utilization, “At Methylennium we’ve spent decades developing next generation technologies to leverage captured CO2. With soaring green methanol demand, our technology is ready for prime time. We are excited to work with CapCO2 and the ethanol industry to open up new markets.”

Methylennium Energy brings patented technology to utilize waste CO2 at ethanol facilities and upgrade it onsite to green methanol. Their technology is made from modular components that will be manufactured in the USA, delivered to ethanol plants and assembled there.

The duo of U.S.-based companies are finalizing plans for the first green methanol production site to be operational in 2025. READ MORE

Excerpt from American Farmland Owner: Bonar is the CEO of CapCO2 Solutions, based in Ridgewood, New York. Much of the company’s focus is connecting with ethanol facilities to capture carbon emissions given off during the production process.

Instead of releasing carbon dioxide into the air – and contributing to concerns about further damaging the earth’s atmosphere – the process uses it to produce green methanol.

Green methanol can then be sold serving as additional revenue. It is primarily used as a sustainable aviation fuel, as well as a key ingredient in plastics and formaldehyde.

RELATED: Methanol Institute produced a deep dive video (it’s quite deep since it’s more than two hours long) that explains green methanol and green hydrogen. Watch that here.

“Doing it in a way that makes sense from a business world perspective but also something that really does impact the carbon,” Bonar said of the concept using green methanol.

Bonar said that ethanol plants have already become increasingly better at reducing waste by extracting corn oil and producing biodiesel, animal feed, and cooking oils.

Converting carbon emissions into green methanol is an extension of that, Bonar believes. It is a two-year process to design, build, and connect an ethanol facility with his company’s green methanol system, he said.

But once the system is in place, it can access carbon dioxide in plentiful supply.

“I discovered that ethanol plants are the motherload of biogenic CO2. You could get more of it in really clean form. And right now, they’re just throwing it away.”

Bonar said that to be a “green” in its efforts, his company relies on renewable energy sources for its carbon dioxide conversion to green methanol. That would typically require access to wind and solar, so it’s partnering right now with ethanol producers that have that availability nearby. READ MORE