Methanol Economy – The Origin
The Concept of “Methanol
Economy” is being actively pursued by China, Italy, Sweden, Israel, US,
Australia, Japan and many other European countries. 10% of fuel in China in
transport Sector is Methanol. Methanol Economy, if adopted by India can be one
of the best ways to mitigate the Environmental hazards of a growing economy.
NITI Aayog is preparing a road map for a full-scale implementation in the near
future.
A potential Fuel
Methanol has the potential to
be an enduring solution to human energy needs is because the beltched out C02
(greenhouse gas emission) both from using Methanol and while producing Methanol
can be tapped back to produce Methanol. Thereby a seamless loop of CO2
sequestration cycle is created to perpetually burn fuels without polluting the
environment at all. C02 from steel plants, Thermal Power plants, Cement Plants
etc. can be tapped in large quantities to produce Methanol.
Methanol is a promising fuel as
it is clean, cheaper than fossil fuels and a good substitute for heavy fuels.
India imports methanol from Saudi Arabia and Iran at present. Across the world,
methanol is emerging as a clean, sustainable transportation fuel of the future.
Reasons
Methanol can be used as an
energy producing fuel, transportation fuel and cooking fuel, cutting down
India’s oil import bill by an estimated 20% over the next few years. Unlike
CNG, using methanol as a transportation fuel would require minimal
alteration in the vehicles.
Methanol is a clean-burning
fuel that produces fewer smog-causing emissions — such as sulphur oxides
(SOx), nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter — and can improve air
quality and related human health issues.
Methanol is most commonly
produced on a commercial scale from natural gas. It can also be produced from
renewable sources such as biomass and recycled carbon dioxide.
As a high-octane vehicle fuel,
methanol offers excellent acceleration and power. It also improves vehicle
efficiency.
NITI Aayog- and Methanol Economy
This is
India’s first step towards realizing the concept of ‘Methanol Economy’, the
flagship programme of NITI Aayog. Through the programme, the NITI Aayog has
been working on a roadmap to replace 20% of the country’s crude imports through
methanol alone.
Under the pilot project, stove
and methanol canister will be made available in a limited scale. The methanol
cooking fuel will be available in canisters of 1.2 kg capacity each, which will
be priced at around Rs 32 and around 18 of them would be equivalent to one
conventional domestic LPG cylinder.
The technology for the canister
and the special burner has been provided by Sweden. In two months, APL will
start commercial production of methanol-based cooking fuel. Initially the
product will be made available for the northeastern region.
