Methanol is a versatile chemical commodity with a wide range of applications. It can be used as a direct fuel for internal combustion engines, blended with other fuels, or produced as a fuel additive to enhance engine performance. Methanol has significant potential to become a key low-carbon fuel for heavy road and transportation, as well as marine freight. The global market is seeing a growing interest in technologies that utilise methanol as a fuel source. However, two significant challenges may hinder the broader adoption of methanol in energy systems. Firstly, methanol is currently produced from fossil resources, and secondly, its primary use is in the chemical industry, leaving limited opportunities for the energy sector to rely on it.

Bio-MeGaFuel is proposing a novel route that converts low-value biomass to methanol via an intensified process with a minimum carbon footprint comparable to conventional methods. Bio-MeGaFuel uses chemical looping gasification to produce clean syngas from biomass, and membrane reactor technology to directly produce methanol from syngas. A significant advantage of the Bio-MeGaFuel process is the ability to maximise the conversion of hydrogen and carbon from biomass waste to methanol with minimal process steps.

The process is based on the conversion of biomass waste, with the aim of increasing the capacity for biomethanol production in a sustainable way and addressing the growing demand for biomethanol as a fuel. Bio-MeGaFuel is underpinned by technologies that are being developed to TRL 5 by an expert consortium. Besides, it is backed by a strong reference group including the business leaders and market players in biomass supply, whole methanol production value chain, potential end users, and potential future players in the production, management, and distribution of biomethanol. This ensures the quality of the research and appropriate exploitation of the results predicted in Bio-MeGaFuel.