Marubeni Corporation (hereinafter, “Marubeni”) has entered into an agreement with MFE Shanghai Environmental Engineering and Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter, “MFES”) to acquire marketing rights in Asia, excluding China, for low-carbon emission methanol (Circular Methanol; hereinafter, the “Product”*1). The Product is manufactured by Anyang Shunli Environmental Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter, “Shunli”), a company in which MFES has invested and for which it also has sales rights.
In recent years, various measures to reduce greenhouse gases (GHGs) have been under consideration in a range of industries. One of these measures is the development of CCU (Carbon dioxide Capture and Utilization), which involves the use of CO2 recovered from exhaust gases as raw material for chemicals and fuels, with this Product also falling under the category of CCU. Marubeni will contribute to the reduction of GHG emissions by promoting sales of the Product while also satisfying customer demand for environmentally-friendly products.
The Product uses the technology of Carbon Recycling International*2 to produce methanol from CO2 and hydrogen (hereinafter, “Emissions to Liquids” technology) at the Shunli plant, which started commercial operation in September 2022. The Product is manufactured by synthesizing the CO2 emitted from the manufacturing process of a calcium oxide plant located near Shunli — — and the hydrogen in coke oven gas emitted from coke manufacturing plant of subsidiary of Henan Shuncheng Group, an investor in Shunli has a stake.
This plant has an annual production capacity of 110,000 tons of the Product, and is the world's first commercial large-scale plant to synthesize and manufacture methanol from CO2 and hydrogen alone. Unlike methanol, which is produced from natural gas or coal, the process allows production of methanol that absorbs and utilize more CO2 than it emits during the production process.
Starting with the Product, Marubeni will work to build a circular economy that will lead to a reduction in CO2 emissions by promoting sales of environmentally-friendly methanol for use in chemicals and fuels.
*1 Circular Methanol is so called as it uses Emission to Liquids technology and reuses CO2 and Hydrogen in exhaust gas, distinguishing it from methanol produced from fossil fuels.
*2 An Icelandic company that owns the technology to produce methanol from CO2 and hydrogen, and which has a stake in MFES.
