Braskem collaborates with the University of British Columbia to develop technology for producing methanol from CO2

Sao Palo, Brazil – Braskem has announced a collaboration with the University of British Columbia (UBC) to explore the feasibility of using an electrochemical reactor to produce methanol from CO, an important intermediate that can be obtained from CO2 Capture and Conversion. The project, which will last one year, is fully funded by Braskem as part of its efforts to explore more sustainable production alternatives.

“Methanol is an important product for the chemical industry that can be used as feedstock for several productive processes. The electrochemical route to be explored in this project aims at obtaining a low carbon footprint product and reducing the production costs of the overall integrated solution, making it more economically attractive,” says Márcio Rebouças, Head of Braskem’s Decarbonization Technologies Platform.

Methyl alcohol, commonly known as methanol, is vital for numerous industries and is currently obtained from non-renewable sources, such as coal and natural gas. The collaboration could provide a process that has a positive impact against climate change since the production of methanol from previously captured CO 2 has a potentially lower carbon footprint. Also, this product can be integrated into petrochemical industrial processes, through conversion into olefins and aromatics or its direct use as fuel, decreasing their carbon footprint.

“We are thrilled to collaborate with Braskem to demonstrate the conversion of CO into methanol in a membrane reactor for the first time”, said Curtis Berlinguette, Principal Investigator and Professor of Chemistry and Chemical and Biological Engineering at UBC. “My team has previously shown that our membrane reactor, which we call “Thor”, is capable of driving the production of hydrogen peroxide, biodiesel, and pharmaceuticals using only water and electricity. This project with Braskem provides an exciting opportunity to expand Thor’s scope to include methanol production.”

This collaboration with the Canadian university is another step for Braskem towards its sustainable development goals, particularly in achieving carbon neutrality. The company aims to reduce its GHG emissions by 15% by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

“Braskem has entered into several collaborations over the past few years to explore and develop alternatives for utilizing the CO2 generated in our operations. With this new project, the company is expanding activities in the academic sector and promoting innovative and disruptive research in collaboration with major educational institutions abroad,” says Rebouças.