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Newsletter | Issue #1

June | 2025

Content

Charting a Sustainable Future for Global Shipping
Key progress
2.1. A closer Look at biogenic CO₂
2.2. Demonstration of “Maritime Methanol” Production
2.3. M²ARE participation to conferences and events
Future activities
3.1 Development of next generation methanol process
3.2 Participation at the 33rd European Biomass Conference & Exhibition in Valencia, Spain

We are excited to announce the launch of the newsletter for M²ARE, the Horizon Europe project focusing on renewable methanol production for the shipping industry. This edition is the first in a series of regular updates intended to keep you informed about the key progress of this Horizon Europe-funded initiative.

Charting a Sustainable Future for Global Shipping

The maritime transport sector, a cornerstone to global trade, has ambitious decarbonization targets. Alternative fuels are becoming more and more relevant. To meet the significant demand for decarbonized fuels, M²ARE seeks to develop and demonstrate an innovative process for producing "Maritime Methanol." This novel, low-cost, low-carbon methanol grade, derived from biogenic CO₂ and renewable H₂, is intended to assist the global shipping industry in lowering its CO₂ emissions.

Key progress

2.1. A closer look at biogenic-CO₂

Utilizing biogenic CO₂ for Maritime Methanol production offers the advantage of using carbon already within the natural carbon cycle, thus avoiding additional strain on the Earth's carbon balance. However, transitioning to biogenic CO₂ sources presents new challenges, primarily concerning its availability and the difficulty of securing sufficient quantities at a single location.

To grasp the challenges and opportunities of bio-CO₂ sources, a mapping of European bio-CO₂ streams was conducted. This mapping assessed potential renewable feedstock origins for the methanol synthesis, including biogas plants, biomass power plants, pulp and paper plants, bioethanol plants, the food and beverage industry, and non-biogenic CO₂ sources. Following this mapping, the Centre for Research & Technology, Hellas (CERTH) and Air Liquide Research and Development analyzed bio-CO₂ streams at industrial sites to identify potential impurities that could impact the methanol synthesis catalyst. Additionally, a ranking of the different potential sources was performed to identify the most promising bio-CO₂ options.

2.2. Demonstration of “Maritime Methanol” Production

Extensive testing for the development of the novel methanol synthesis process is conducted at the existing methanol synthesis pilot plant at Air Liquide Research and Development. The resulting crude methanol requires purification. To this end, a new pilot distillation column is being installed at Air Liquide Research and Development to produce the final fuel for engine tests that will be performed by project partner MAN Energy Solutions. The outcomes of these tests will provide insights into the fuel's performance, exhaust gas properties, and potential impacts on engine equipment. A key challenge in producing Maritime Methanol from renewable sources is the potential variability in feedstock quantity and quality. Consequently, the ability to operate methanol production dynamically is advantageous. Initial tests at Air Liquide multi-stage, once-through methanol synthesis pilot plant have shown the feasibility of rapid load changes for converting CO₂ and H₂ to methanol. However, under specific conditions the once-through process requires recycling the unreacted gas to achieve a full conversion. To address this, a recycle compressor has been added to the pilot plant to recycle unreacted gases. This new equipment will aid in understanding and optimizing the balance between maintaining high process flexibility and achieving complete feedstock conversion.

2.3. M²ARE participation to conferences and events

32nd European Biomass Conference & Exhibition (EUBCE, June 2024, Marseille, France)

Poster presentations: Henrik Schlösser (Air Liquide), Michael Bampaou (CERTH)
Project visibility point at the exhibition area

17th Panhellenic Symposium on Catalysis (October 8-10, 2024, Paphos, Cyprus)

Poster Presentation: Team from LEFH / CPERI / CERTH

DECHEMA Conference Energy Chemistry, Climate (May 12-13, 2025, Frankfurt, Germany)

Oral presentation by Dr. Armin Günther (Air Liquide E&C)

CO₂-based Fuels and Chemicals Conference (April 29-30, 2025, Cologne, Germany)

Oral presentation by Vincent Pena (Air Liquide E&C)

Public webinar: “Mapping the Availability, Locations, and Quality of bio-CO₂ Streams in Europe” (October 23, 2025)

Speakers: Henrik Schlösser (Air Liquide), Michael Bampaou (CERTH), moderated by Giacomo Mezzetti (ETA Florence).

The webinar focused on mapping European biogenic CO₂ streams for renewable maritime fuels and on the commitment of the project in creating a flexible process for renewable methanol, crucial for the maritime sector's decarbonization goals.

Research and development activities such as demonstrating methanol production in a pilot plant, developing a new reactor concept, and creating a new purification system to obtain a tailor-made fuel were also mentioned, as well as engine tests, life cycle assessments (LCA) and techno-economic analyses (TEA).

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE FULL WEBINAR

Figure 1. Our coordinator Henrik Schlösser during the M²ARE poster presentation at the 32nd EUBCE edition in 2024.

Figure 2. Team from LEFH / CPERI / CERTH presenting the work carried out on the frame of the M²ARE project.

Figure 3. Dr. Armin Günther from Air Liquide E&C, holding an oral presentation on the M²ARE project at the DECHEMA Conference Energy Chemistry, Climate in Frankfurt, Germany.

Future activities

3.1. Development of next generation methanol process

To be able to provide the renewable Maritime Methanol cost-effectively, new process developments are employed. To this end, a next generation methanol synthesis process is developed. LRGP is developing detailed models that will aid in the design of the GEN2 process. This process features an innovative reactor leveraging process intensification techniques. A prototype of this novel reactor will be installed at the ALFE methanol synthesis pilot plant to demonstrate its capabilities.

3.2. Participation at the 33rd European Biomass Conference & Exhibition in Valencia, Spain

The M²ARE project will host a workshop on "Innovation and Sustainability for the Maritime Biofuels" at the upcoming European Biomass Conference & Exhibition in Valencia, Spain. This workshop will include participation from several Horizon Europe projects (FUEL UP, SEAFAIRER, COCPIT, and POSEIDON) focusing on renewable maritime fuels. The event will be divided into two parts: the project presentations and a panel discussion. Further details regarding the time, agenda, and location are available on the official EUBCE website. A social media campaign on LinkedIn to advertise the event presenting the speakers that will give their contribution to this great initiative was prepared by ETA.

Figure 4. M²ARE parallel event LinkedIn banner

Furthermore, Michael Bampaou from CERTH (The Centre for Research & Technology, Hellas), will hold two visual presentations on Tuesday 10th of June.

CLICK HERE TO DISCOVER MORE

Figure 5. M²ARE project consortium.