21 June, 2021
Houston, Texas & Plaquemines Parish, La. – IGP Methanol, LLC is upgrading the design of its world-scale methanol plants in Myrtle Grove, La. into “Blue Methanol” facilities to meet rapidly growing and unmet global demand for ultralow-carbon methanol.
What is Blue Methanol?
Blue Methanol is produced when the CO2 normally produced in methanol manufacturing is either processed into stable products or pumped into the earth. Normally, this involves adding carbon capture to a plant’s exhaust stacks and compressing the waste CO2 at the plant.
The Haldor Topsøe Blue Methanol™ technology uses hydrogen for heat, so mostly water vapor, not CO2, escapes in its exhaust, leaving no need for carbon capture.
Additionally, IGP plans on hosting multiple carbontech companies on the site that will turn the CO2 into products that lock up the carbon, removing the need to compress the gas and pump it into the earth. Blue Methanol is an ideal way to deliver clean methanol to domestic and overseas markets where it is used to manufacture thousands of everyday products that the world has come to depend on. Examples include clothing, plastic car parts, paints, coatings, cleaning products and pharmaceuticals.
“Our Gulf Coast Methanol Park design was already the global leader in ultralow emissions.” said James Lamoureaux, Chairman and Co-Founder of IGP Methanol. Adopting our partner, Haldor Topsøe’s, Blue Methanol technology allows us to build a near-zero emission, hydrogen-fueled methanol plant. This changes the game for world-scale methanol from this point forward. Combining these two approaches represents one of the most promising solutions for decarbonizing our industrial segment and is a powerful tool to minimize or eliminate CO2.”
This expansion of our partnership accelerates development of both hydrogen-fired production and allows for multiple companies’ advanced carbon-based processes to access the clean, manufactured CO2 needed to bring their products to market. The project will create up to 3,000 jobs during construction and hundreds more for decades to come. IGP Methanol and Haldor Topsøe are proud to be at the leading edge of the world’s transition to a low-carbon economy while providing good jobs for our neighbors.
For Haldor Topsøe, this provides an opportunity to bring their proven Blue Hydrogen™ process to an integrated chemical plant. “With today’s focus on reduction of the CO2 footprint, companies in this sector are seeking solutions for Blue Hydrogen™.” notes Henrik Rasmussen, Managing Director, The Americas. “It’s fascinating—and encouraging—to see the industrial sector apply the required innovations. We are honored to be a part of the IGP project. Not only since it is moving to industrial scale hydrogen, but because the IGP path will allow/provide emerging carbontech companies the needed clean CO2 stream and access to plant facilities with the Gulf Coast Methanol Park.”
For IGP Methanol, this partnership is the catalyst accelerating their Gulf Coast Methanol Park by providing one of the few sources of Blue Methanol in the world and, in the process, helping multiple world-class carbontech companies accelerate their path to market. We need to replace traditional carbon-intense manufacturing with clean hydrogen technology. These CO2-to-product companies are the missing element in the low-carbon economy models.
For carbontech companies, the adjacent facility will allow hosting for cutting-edge companies that convert CO2 into stable products. Those products not only compete with fossil fuel-based manufacturing but result in the carbon being bonded in a manner that effectively sequesters it without the cost and risk associated to pump it into the earth. In moving toward a low-carbon economy, carbontech firms that consume CO2 will be a critical part of the answer. Some estimates project that carbontech products can solve over 15% of worldwide carbon emissions in the next few decades.
About IGP Methanol, LLC— IGP is a development company, focused on world-scale, transformative and sustainable energy projects and technology. IGP is focused on intelligent engineering and efficient execution. The company continuously challenges itself to find smarter ways to use natural resources, drive integration, and eliminate waste to reduce its environmental footprint. Sustainable development is at the core of all its decisions. For more information about IGP Methanol and our companies: www.igpmethanol.com
About Haldor Topsøe – Topsøe is a global leader in supply of catalysts, technology and services to the chemical and refining industries. Topsøe aims to be the global leader within carbon emission reduction technologies by 2024. By perfecting chemistry for a better world, we enable our customers to succeed in the transition towards renewable energy. Topsøe is headquartered in Denmark and serves customers around the globe. In 2020, our revenue was approximately DKK 6.2 billion, and we employ around 2,100 employees. www.topsoe.com
