First Operation Results of a Methanol Demonstration Plant With Real Steel Mill Gases

Methanol is a chemical raw material with high potential for facilitating the green transition in industrial processes. The synthesis of methanol from alternative carbon sources, especially the utilisation of steel mill off-gases, is explored. An experimental setup featuring a demonstration plant for methanol synthesis is described. The results focus on the measurement of the temperature profile along the reactor axis, which provides a novel way of an inside view into an industrial-sized reactor tube. The temperature measurements show the initial deactivation of a fresh batch of methanol catalyst, which is in accordance with literature. They also indicate a stable temperature profile in the reactor over time during the utilisation of blast furnace gas and demonstrate the feasibility of methanol production from this alternative carbon source. Disturbances in the feed gas could be handled reliably and did not influence methanol production.