Nesterenko N, Medeiros-Costa IC, Clatworthy EB, Cruchade H, Konnov SV, Dath JP, Gilson JP, Mintova S. Methane-to-chemicals: a pathway to decarbonization.
Natl Sci Rev 2023;
10:nwad116. [PMID:
37565204 PMCID:
PMC10411677 DOI:
10.1093/nsr/nwad116]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2023] [Revised: 04/16/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The utilization of methane for chemical production, often considered as the future of petrochemistry, historically could not compete economically with conventional processes due to higher investment costs. Achieving sustainability and decarbonization of the downstream industry by integration with a methane-to-chemicals process may provide an opportunity to unlock the future for these technologies. Gas-to-chemicals is an efficient tool to boost the decarbonization potential of renewable energy. While the current implementation of carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) technologies is of great importance for industrial decarbonization, a shift to greener CO2-free processes and CO2 utilization from external sources for manufacturing valuable goods is highly preferred. This review outlines potential options for how a methane-to-chemicals process could support decarbonization of the downstream industry.
Collapse