Methanol synthesis beyond chemical equilibrium

In commercial methanol production from syngas, the conversion is thermodynamically limited to 0.3–0.7 leading to large recycles of non-converted syngas. This problem can be overcome to a significant extent by in situ condensation of methanol during its synthesis which is possible nowadays due to the availability of highly active catalysts allowing for lower reactor temperatures. For the first time, in situ methanol condensation at 20 MPa and 473 K was demonstrated visually in a view cell. The condensation of reaction products (mainly methanol and water) drives the equilibrium reactions nearly to completion, as is demonstrated experimentally in a packed bed reactor and supported by thermodynamic calculations. Contrary to conventional methanol synthesis, once-through operation becomes possible avoiding recycling of unconverted syngas, which can be economically beneficial for industrial stakeholders.

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► Methanol synthesis was visualized in a view cell.
► In situ condensation of methanol was demonstrated during methanol synthesis.
► Conversions higher than the chemical equilibrium were obtained.
► Conversions are accurately predicted with a chemical and phase equilibrium model.