Methanol Economy: Environment, Demand, and Marketing With a Focus on the Waste-to-Methanol Process

Abstract Methanol is an ideal energy vector to guarantee a smooth and effective transition from the actual oil-centric energy system to the new, more sustainable future of energy and chemistry. After introducing this changing scenario and the main paths for the use of methanol as a fuel and chemical, this chapter discusses more specifics regarding the economics of the production of methanol from waste-derived fuel as residue-derived fuel (Rdf). It is shown that biomethanol produced in this way, which may be counted double for its bioenergy content, may have a value in the 400–450 € per ton range against a cost of production that, in the worst-case scenario, does not exceed 200 € per ton. For a 300 t/d methanol plant, a return of investment (ROI) of 29% is expected; meanwhile for a 150 t/d capacity, the ROI is reduced to 18%.

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