Elsevier

Catalysis Today

Volume 374, 15 August 2021, Pages 135-153
Catalysis Today

Electrocatalysts for direct methanol fuel cells to demonstrate China's renewable energy renewable portfolio standards within the framework of the 13th five-year plan

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cattod.2020.10.004Get rights and content

Highlights

  • Methanol synthesis via carbon dioxide hydrogenation is reviewed.

  • Up to date review on high yield catalysts for methanol synthesis are discussed.

  • Catalytic performance parameters (temperature, Pressure, Support) are reviewed.

  • Policy framework towards renewable energy for China is extensively reviewed.

  • The catalytic mechanism and the role of promoters, bi-metallic catalyst is also discussed.

Abstract

A unified treatment of the renewable portfolio standards is given concerning direct methanol fuel. The current mechanism of electrocatalysis of methanol oxidation on platinum and non-platinum-containing alloys is summarized for the systematic improvement of the rate of electro-oxidation of methanol are discussed. Policy realignment under the five-year plan is discussed in length to demonstrate how policy, markets, and engineering designs contribute towards the development of model direct methanol fuel cells operational enhancement, and factors that affect critical performance parameters for commercial exploitation are summarized for catalytic formulations and cell design within the context of why this investment in technology, education, and finances is required within the global context of sustainable energy and energy independence as exposed by thirteenth the five-year plan. The prolog focuses on the way, whereas the section on methanol fuel cells on the how and the post log on what is expected post-COVID-19 era in science and technology as China pivots to a post-fossil fuel economy.

China's industrial growth has been through internal market reforms and supplies side economics from the Chinese markets for fossil fuels except for petroleum. The latest renewable portfolio standards adopted have common elements as adopted from North American and the United Kingdom in terms of adaptation of obligation in terms of renewable portfolio standards as well as a realization that the necessity for renewables standards for the thirteen five year plan (from 2016 to 2020) need to less rigorously implemented due to performance targets that were met during the eleventh (06–10) and twelfth five-year plans (11–15) in terms of utilization of small coal-ire power plants, development of newer standards, led to an improvement of energy efficiency of 15 %, reduction of SOx/NOx by an average of 90 % and PM2.5 by 96 % over the last two five-year plans.

The current phase of the plan has a focus on energy generation from coal and a slowing down of renewables or Renewable energy curtailment of approximately 400 T Wh renewables including 300 T Wh of non-hydro power, principally from Guangdong, and Jiangsu for transfer of hydropower and Zhejiang, Tianjin, Henan for non-hydro power transfer with Beijing and Shanghai playing important roles in renewables energy curtailment and realignment using an integrated approach to optimize each provinces energy portfolio. The realignment of the renewable energy portfolio indicates that the newly installed capacity in Sichuan, Yunnan, Inner Mongolia, and Zhejiang will account for less than 20 % of the current renewable energy portfolio but with the NOx SOx and PM2.5 savings already accrued.

The catalytic reduction of carbon dioxide to methanol (70 / 110 million metric tons from all sources in 2019 for China/world) is one technological approach to reduce global carbon dioxide emissions and suggests that catalytic methanol synthesis by CO2 hydrogenation may be a plausible approach, even if it is more expensive economically than methanol synthesis by the syngas approach. This is because the CO2 emissions of the synthesis are lower than other synthesis methodologies. The Chinese government has placed a premium on cleaner air and water and may view such an approach as solving the dual issues of fuel substitution and reduction of CO2. Thus, the coupling of hydrogen generation from sustainable energies sources (Solar 175 / 509 GW) or wind (211/591.5 GW in 2019) may be an attractive approach, as this requires slightly less water than coal gasification. Due to the thermodynamic requirement of lower operating pressure and higher operating pressure, currently, there is no single operational approach, although some practice approaches (220 °C at 48 atm using copper) and zinc oxide/alumina are suggested for optimal performance.

Keywords

Methanol hydrogenation
bi-metallic catalysis
CO2 reduction
Energy saving
Lower emissions
Heterogeneous catalysis

Cited by (0)

Gao Yongjun, research interests include energy policy and is the provincial industry science and Technology advisor on energy policy. He is a former awardee of the Science and Technology Management Innovation Group Award and " model worker: municipal level award issued by the China Electric Power Association. He is also an awardee in the Nuclear Power engineering Policy category issued by the East China Electric Power

Jingbo Louise Liu received her pH.D. in Materials Science and Engineering from the University of Science and Technology Beijing in 2001. She is a Full Professor at the Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK) and focuses on materials preparation, characterization, and applications. She is a Fellow of Royal Society of Chemistry and DEBI Faculty Fellow at the US Air Force Research Laboratory. She has authored and co-authored books, book chapters, and peer-reviewed journal articles (more than 100). During her 12.5-year services in the TAMUK, she taught more than 8700 students and trained about 150 students and scholars to conduct leading-edge research. She directed and/or participated in the projects (more than 40) supported by the NSF (USA and China), NSERC (CANADA), ACS Petroleum Research Funds, and Department of Education as PI, Co-PI, and senior personnel. She was recently elected as the Chairwoman in the Division of Energy and Fuels, American Chemical Society.

Sajid Bashir received his pH.D. in Analytical Chemistry from the University of Warwick, England, in 2001. He was a Postgraduate Research Associate at Cornell University who researched the field of plant genetics. Currently, he is a Full Professor at Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK) and a Faculty Fellow at the US Air Force. He has directed and participated in more than 20 projects supported by the Welch Foundation, TAMUK, Texas Workforce Commission, and US National Institutes of Health. He has co-authored more than 80 book chapters and peer-reviewed journal articles. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and Chartered Chemist and Chartered Scientist of the Science Council. Currently, he collaborated with local law enforcement as a consultant.

In loving memory to Mohammed Bashir and Peter J. Derrick

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