CO2 utilisation pathways to produce synthetic fuels and other value-added liquid products
Ashwin Mankodi A * , Wessel Nel B , Binu Baby A , LiXin (Lisa) Zhong B and Sreelakshmi Puthoor BA
B
Ashwin Mankodi is a seasoned business leader with over 20 years of experience in capital project delivery and portfolio management. With a background in chemical engineering and an MBA in finance and strategy, Ashwin has worked across various industries, including hydrogen markets, renewable energy, oil and gas, and minerals processing. His expertise spans project management, due diligence, planning, design, and tender documentation. Ashwin currently manages a portfolio of oil and gas projects as Regional Director, providing technical solutions to major operators in Australia and Asia. |
Wessel Nel is a Senior Process Engineer with over 25 years of experience in syngas production and conversion. He began his career at Sasol, focussing on Gas to Liquids (GTL) and Coal to Liquids (CTL) projects. At Hatch, he expanded his expertise to include Biomass to Liquids (BTL), Waste to Liquids (WTL), e-Fuels, and Hydrogen production. Wessel leads Hatch’s Sustainable Fuels practice as Senior Manager, specialising in syngas generation, processing, and conversion, as well as downstream product refinement and process integration. |
Binu Baby is an experienced process engineer with over 28 years of global experience in the oil and gas industry. Holding a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering and an MBA, he currently serves as a Lead Process Engineer at Hatch, overseeing process engineering in the Australian business unit. Binu is a member of IChemE and Engineers Australia, and a Registered Professional Engineer of Queensland. His expertise includes feasibility studies, process design, technical assurance, production operations, and facilities commissioning, covering offshore and onshore gas processing, LNG units, oil refineries, hydrogen generation, and petrochemical processing facilities. |
LiXin (Lisa) Zhong is a process engineer at Hatch with 6 years of experience in various carbon capture, blue hydrogen/ammonia, and anything-to-liquids projects. She has well-rounded project experience in process simulation (HYSYS) of carbon capture and hydrogen technologies, flowsheet development and optimisation, and cost estimation. Lisa holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Alberta. |
Sreelakshmi Puthoor is a process engineer with 10 years of experience in process design, process control, and operations management in oil and gas facilities. Her experience includes executing technical feasibility studies, conceptual and detailed process engineering design, and process optimisation studies. Sree currently works as a process lead at Hatch, overseeing multiple projects focussed on post-combustion carbon capture and low-carbon fuels. Her key strengths include process engineering, optimisation, cost estimation and project management. Sree holds a Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Calgary, specialising heterogeneous catalysis and adsorption-based wastewater treatment techniques. She also earned a BSc in Chemical Engineering from the University of Calicut. |
Abstract
The conversion of CO2 into fuels and chemicals has emerged as a valuable alternative in the battle to combat climate change, particularly in geographical regions where the subsurface properties are not suitable for CO2 sequestration. This paper provides a review of various pathways for utilising captured CO2 to produce synthetic fuels and green chemicals. The pathways are generally agnostic to the source of the CO2, which mainly affects the purification requirements (such as desulfurisation or deoxygenation). The CO2 is typically converted into CO, which could be achieved by known chemical processes such as reverse water shift and CO2 reforming. The CO and H2 produced from these processes are the building blocks for synthetic liquid products such as methanol, ethanol, jet fuel, diesel, and naphtha. In another variation, the H2 could be generated from renewable energy sources and electrolysis to produce e-fuels from the captured CO2. A review of the current and developing technologies and their technology readiness levels is included to determine their suitability for industrial applications, as well as a high-level discussion on factors impacting their economic viability, such as the differences in compression and other energy requirements, process flexibility, and requirements for intermediate storage buffering. The relative cost differences between the various CO2 utilisation pathways are also presented along with a discussion on suitable cost reduction strategies for each option.
Keywords: carbon dioxide, CO2 hydrogenation, CO2 utilisation, dry methane reforming, electrochemical reduction, methanation, methanol synthesis, syngas.
Ashwin Mankodi is a seasoned business leader with over 20 years of experience in capital project delivery and portfolio management. With a background in chemical engineering and an MBA in finance and strategy, Ashwin has worked across various industries, including hydrogen markets, renewable energy, oil and gas, and minerals processing. His expertise spans project management, due diligence, planning, design, and tender documentation. Ashwin currently manages a portfolio of oil and gas projects as Regional Director, providing technical solutions to major operators in Australia and Asia. |
Wessel Nel is a Senior Process Engineer with over 25 years of experience in syngas production and conversion. He began his career at Sasol, focussing on Gas to Liquids (GTL) and Coal to Liquids (CTL) projects. At Hatch, he expanded his expertise to include Biomass to Liquids (BTL), Waste to Liquids (WTL), e-Fuels, and Hydrogen production. Wessel leads Hatch’s Sustainable Fuels practice as Senior Manager, specialising in syngas generation, processing, and conversion, as well as downstream product refinement and process integration. |
Binu Baby is an experienced process engineer with over 28 years of global experience in the oil and gas industry. Holding a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering and an MBA, he currently serves as a Lead Process Engineer at Hatch, overseeing process engineering in the Australian business unit. Binu is a member of IChemE and Engineers Australia, and a Registered Professional Engineer of Queensland. His expertise includes feasibility studies, process design, technical assurance, production operations, and facilities commissioning, covering offshore and onshore gas processing, LNG units, oil refineries, hydrogen generation, and petrochemical processing facilities. |
LiXin (Lisa) Zhong is a process engineer at Hatch with 6 years of experience in various carbon capture, blue hydrogen/ammonia, and anything-to-liquids projects. She has well-rounded project experience in process simulation (HYSYS) of carbon capture and hydrogen technologies, flowsheet development and optimisation, and cost estimation. Lisa holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Alberta. |
Sreelakshmi Puthoor is a process engineer with 10 years of experience in process design, process control, and operations management in oil and gas facilities. Her experience includes executing technical feasibility studies, conceptual and detailed process engineering design, and process optimisation studies. Sree currently works as a process lead at Hatch, overseeing multiple projects focussed on post-combustion carbon capture and low-carbon fuels. Her key strengths include process engineering, optimisation, cost estimation and project management. Sree holds a Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Calgary, specialising heterogeneous catalysis and adsorption-based wastewater treatment techniques. She also earned a BSc in Chemical Engineering from the University of Calicut. |
