Imagine turning waste gas from factories and renewable hydrogen into a clean liquid fuel for giant ships. Instead of using dirty heavy oil, this process cleans up industrial emissions and turns them into a usable energy source. It's like recycling air pollution into a fuel that keeps ships moving without harming the planet.
Shipping relies on high-sulphur heavy fuel oil, contributing significantly to GHG emissions. Current green methanol alternatives are often too expensive for wide-scale adoption.
A TRL-7 methanol synthesis process and a digital value chain model. This includes a pilot plant for CO2 conversion and a pilot distillation unit for fuel purification.
If you are a shipping company dealing with high GHG emissions and strict regulations — this project developed a Maritime Methanol fuel that provides >80% CO2 emission reduction compared to fossil fuels.
If you are a plant operator dealing with waste CO2 from biogas or pulp and paper mills — this project developed a synthesis process that turns these impurities into a low-cost fuel grade.
If you are an engine builder dealing with the transition to green fuels — this project developed a validated fuel grade tested in marine engines to ensure technical feasibility.
The project aims to deliver >10% TCO savings compared to state-of-the-art green methanol technologies.
The project is utilizing a pilot plant in Frankfurt and aims to reach TRL-7 by 2027.
Based on available project data, the consortium is led by Air Liquide, a world-leader in methanol technology, but specific licensing terms are not disclosed.
The project is scheduled to deliver the European methanol synthesis process by May 31, 2027.
The fuel is being validated through a series of marine engine tests to confirm its feasibility as a decarbonized replacement for diesel.
The consortium is highly industry-weighted with a 44% industry ratio, featuring three global giants: Air Liquide (technology provider), MAN (engine manufacturer), and Maersk (end-user/shipping). This structure ensures the technology is developed with direct market pull and technical validation from the start, supported by 4 academic and research partners across 5 European countries.
Contact Air Liquide Forschung und Entwicklung GmbH in Germany
Contact us to connect with the M2ARE consortium for pilot fuel testing.
