Techno-economic assessment of the one-step CO2 conversion to dimethyl ether in a membrane-assisted process

CO2 to dimethyl ether (DME): structural and functional insights of hybrid catalysts

“…A techno-economic analysis by Poto et al anticipates the applicability of large-scale direct CO 2 in DME plants in the Netherlands using CuO/ZnO/Al 2 O 3 / HZSM-5 bifunctional catalyst in a packed bed membrane reactor (PBMR). 167 To conduct the analysis, some basic assumptions are considered such as no internal and external mass transfer limitations, using SiC in 2/3 volumetric ratio to avoid hotspot phenomenon, the stoichiometric ratio of 3 between H 2 and CO 2 , operational pressure of 4 MPa, H 2 and CO 2 of purity 100%, operational cost (OPEX) includes supervision, direct overhead, general overhead maintenance labor, maintenance materials, insurance and taxes, working capital financing. This assessment highlights several insightful findings and strategies for membrane (PBMR) and conventional packed bed (PBR) reactors to make the CO 2 to DME (10 kton per year of DME) process cost-competitive in the near future.…”

“…Poto et al have established a 1D reactor model to determine the optimal membrane properties such that a good membrane should have a water permeability of 4 × 10 −7 mol s −1 m −2 Pa −1 with a selectivity for H 2 , CO 2 /CO, methanol, and DME are 50, 30, 10 and very large, respectively. 167 Crystalline zeolites especially H-SOD (sodalite) and MOR (mordenite) are the best choice as membranes due to their uniform pore size, high mechanical and thermal stability, superior permeability (10 −7 to 10 −6 mol s −1 m −2 Pa −1 ) and H 2 O/H 2 >10 at 250 °C. 168 Amorphous microporous membranes are not suitable for DME synthesis application due to the poor permeability (<10 −7 mol s −1 m −2 Pa −1 ) and H 2 O/H 2 selectivity (<10) at temperatures >200 °C.…”

An Integrated Process Analysis for Producing Glycerol Carbonate from CO2 and Glycerol

“…CO 2 can be obtained through carbon capture technology, either from industrial concentrated emissions or via direct air capture, although the latter option tends to be more expensive [9] . The synthesis of several products related to the utilization of CO 2 as raw material in the chemical industry has been proposed including methanol, methane, or dimethyl ether [10,11] . These bulk chemicals can serve as building blocks for establishing a new green‐based chemical industry [12]…”

Mesostructured γ-Al2O3-Based Bifunctional Catalysts for Direct Synthesis of Dimethyl Ether from CO2

“…This work is focused on the utilization of CO 2 to transform it into dimethyl ether (DME) through a reaction with hydrogen obtained from renewable sources; DME, due to its chemical-physical properties, can be used as fuel in substitution of LPG (Liquified Petroleum Gas), maintaining the same transport and storage technologies. It can also be used as an additive to diesel fuel, granting better performances owing to its high cetane number; furthermore, in properly modified diesel engines, it can completely replace diesel fuel, giving rise to lower emissions of particulate, aromatic compounds, and sulfur [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]. Dimethyl ether is obtained from CO 2 through two subsequent reactions.…”