KR-20260067437-A - Methanol production intergarated system and method of producing methanol using the same

KR20260067437AKR 20260067437 AKR20260067437 AKR 20260067437AKR-20260067437-A

Abstract

The present invention provides an integrated methanol production system and a methanol production method for synthesizing methanol using natural gas and carbon dioxide. The integrated methanol production system comprises a blue-green hydrogen production system that produces blue-green hydrogen and carbon black by thermally decomposing natural gas; a chemical looping system that converts the carbon black into carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide and produces additional hydrogen using water vapor through an oxidation-reduction reaction of oxygen-donating particles; and a methanol synthesis system that synthesizes methanol from the blue-green hydrogen, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and additional hydrogen. The system can provide environmentally friendly methanol by reducing direct carbon dioxide emissions during the methanol production process.

Inventors

박진우
김도희
오세빈
김윤건

Assignees

동국대학교 산학협력단

Dates

Publication Date: 20260513
Application Date: 20241104

Claims (14)

Blue-green hydrogen production system that produces blue-green hydrogen and carbon black by pyrolyzing natural gas; A chemical looping system that produces carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide through an oxidation-reduction reaction between the carbon black and oxygen donor particles, and produces additional hydrogen through an oxidation-reduction reaction between the oxygen donor particles and water vapor; and An integrated methanol production system comprising: a methanol synthesis system that synthesizes methanol from the blue-green hydrogen produced in the blue-green hydrogen production system, the carbon dioxide produced in the chemical looping system, the carbon monoxide, and the additional hydrogen.
In paragraph 1, The above blue-green hydrogen production system A natural gas pretreatment unit that pre-reforms the above natural gas to separate and convert it into methane, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen; A natural gas pyrolysis unit that pyrolyzes the methane into the blue-green hydrogen and the carbon black; and A methanol production integrated system comprising: a hydrogen purification unit for separating purge gas contained in the above-mentioned blue-green hydrogen.
In paragraph 1, The above chemical looping system A fuel reactor that produces carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide through an oxidation-reduction reaction between the carbon black produced in the above-described blue-green hydrogen production system and the oxygen donor particles, and converts the oxygen donor particles into reduced oxygen donor particles; A steam reactor that produces additional hydrogen through an oxidation-reduction reaction between the reduced oxygen donor particles and the water vapor, and converts the reduced oxygen donor particles into oxidized oxygen donor particles; and An integrated methanol production system comprising: an air reactor that produces nitrogen through an oxidation-reduction reaction between the oxidized oxygen donor particles and air, and converts the oxidized oxygen donor particles into oxygen donor particles.
In paragraph 3, The oxygen donor particle comprises an active metal oxide and a support of the active metal oxide, and The above active metal oxide is iron oxide (FeO, Fe₂O₃ , Fe₃O₄ ), copper oxide (CuO), nickel oxide (NiO) , or manganese oxide (MnO), and A methanol production integrated system in which the support is ceria ( CeO2 ), fluorite ( CaF2 ), or spinel ( MgAl2O4 ).
In paragraph 1, The above methanol synthesis system A methanol synthesis unit that synthesizes the blue-green hydrogen produced in the blue-green hydrogen production system and the carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and additional hydrogen produced in the chemical looping system into methanol; A methanol purification unit for separating purge gas contained in the synthesized methanol above; A first methanol distillation unit for separating light gas contained in the methanol from which the purge gas has been separated; and A methanol production integrated system comprising: a methanol second distillation unit for separating water contained in methanol from which the light gas has been separated.
In a methanol production method that synthesizes methanol using natural gas and steam, A step of pre-reforming the above natural gas to separate and convert it into methane, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen; A step of pyrolyzing the above methane into blue-green hydrogen and carbon black; A step of producing carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide through an oxidation-reduction reaction between the carbon black and the oxygen donor particles, and converting the oxygen donor particles into reduced oxygen donor particles; A step of producing additional hydrogen through an oxidation-reduction reaction between the reduced oxygen donor particles and the water vapor, and converting the reduced oxygen donor particles into oxidized oxygen donor particles; and A method for producing methanol comprising the step of synthesizing methanol through the reaction of the above-mentioned blue-green hydrogen, the above-mentioned carbon dioxide, the above-mentioned carbon monoxide, and the above-mentioned additional hydrogen.
In paragraph 6, A method for producing methanol in which the oxidized oxygen-donating particles are converted into oxygen-donating particles through an oxidation-reduction reaction with air.
In paragraph 6, The above methanol production method further comprises the step of separating purge gas by purifying the blue-green hydrogen using a pressure circulating adsorption process.
In paragraph 6, The methanol production method described above further comprises the step of purifying and distilling the methanol to remove impurities.
In paragraph 6, The above methanol production method is a methanol production method that produces methanol with a purity of 99.5% to 99.9%.
In paragraph 6, A method for producing methanol, wherein the above blue-green hydrogen and the above carbon black are produced by thermally decomposing the above methane at a temperature of 900 ℃ to 1300 ℃.
In paragraph 6, A method for producing methanol, wherein the carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide are produced through an oxidation-reduction reaction of the oxygen-donating particles and the carbon black supplied at a temperature of 700 ℃ to 900 ℃ and a flow rate of 55,000 kmol/h to 62,000 kmol/h.
In paragraph 6, A method for producing methanol, wherein the additional hydrogen is produced through an oxidation-reduction reaction of the water vapor supplied at a temperature of 500 ℃ to 700 ℃ and a flow rate of 110,000 kmol/h to 116,000 kmol/h and the reduced oxygen-donating particles.
In paragraph 6, A method for producing methanol, wherein the methanol is synthesized by reacting the blue-green hydrogen, the additional hydrogen, the carbon dioxide, and the carbon monoxide at a pressure of 50 bar to 100 bar and a temperature of 220 ℃ to 280 ℃.

Description

Methanol production integrated system and method of producing methanol using the same The present invention relates to a methanol production system, and more specifically, to an integrated methanol production system including a blue-green hydrogen production system and a chemical looping system, in which hydrogen production and methanol production are significantly increased, and a method for producing methanol using said system. The severity of global warming is increasing worldwide due to the rapid increase in carbon dioxide concentration caused by the indiscriminate use of fossil fuels, which leads to the occurrence of abnormal weather phenomena such as El Niño. Consequently, in 2018, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) under the United Nations recommended achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, and developed countries are actively conducting research on clean alternative energy sources, with an increasing number of member countries joining the '2050 Carbon Neutrality Goal Climate Alliance'. Hydrogen energy is an eco-friendly energy source capable of producing electricity and heat without greenhouse gas emissions by utilizing hydrogen. Unlike renewable energy sources such as hydropower, wind power, and solar power, which can be halted by climate conditions, hydrogen energy allows for continuous production. Furthermore, unlike coal or oil, which can only be obtained in specific regions, hydrogen exists in large quantities in the form of compounds in most materials on Earth, such as water and natural gas, making it a focal point as a future energy resource. Hydrogen intended for use as an energy source is pure hydrogen ( H₂ ) produced by separating it from other elements using separate energy, and it is classified by various colors assigned according to the production method. Among these, green hydrogen is produced by electrolyzing water using electricity generated from renewable energy, and it has the advantage of not generating pollutants during the production process. However, green hydrogen has disadvantages, such as high production costs due to high electricity consumption and difficulties in continuous production caused by the intermittency and variability of the renewable energy used to generate electricity. Although these drawbacks are being improved through ongoing research, new hydrogen production processes capable of serving as a stepping stone for green hydrogen are required because the climate crisis is currently ongoing. Blue-green hydrogen, one of the hydrogens gaining attention as a stepping stone to green hydrogen, is produced by the thermal decomposition of natural gas. It has the advantage of ensuring economic viability by producing solid carbon that can be utilized in fields other than carbon dioxide. However, blue-green hydrogen has the disadvantage of high production costs and difficulty in mass production because the thermal decomposition of natural gas takes place at high temperatures. Furthermore, there is a concern that if blue-green hydrogen is commercialized, the supply of solid carbon produced will exceed demand, thus requiring new ways to utilize solid carbon. Therefore, there is a need for utilization methods to form high-value-added materials by utilizing the solid carbon produced during the production process of blue-green hydrogen. Figure 1 is a simplified schematic diagram of the methanol production integrated system of the present invention. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing a blue-green hydrogen production system included in the methanol production integrated system of the present invention. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing a chemical looping system included in the methanol production integrated system of the present invention. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram showing a methanol synthesis system included in the methanol production integrated system of the present invention. Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to embodiments and drawings so that those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains can easily implement it. The embodiments of the present invention are provided to more completely explain the present invention to those with average knowledge in the art. Accordingly, the embodiments of the present invention may be modified in various different forms, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below but may be embodied in other forms. Throughout the specification of the present invention, when a part is described as "comprising" a certain component, this means that, unless specifically stated otherwise, it does not exclude other components but may include additional components. The term "chemical looping" as used throughout the specification of the present invention refers to a circulation moving-bed process capable of producing hydrogen and separating carbon dioxide at the source by circulating oxygen donor particles capable of giving and re