Annually, approximately 90,000 tons of renewable methanol will be produced at this location by converting 180,000 tons of local non-recyclable waste, which is currently incinerated. The advanced methanol can be used in road transport, shipping and aviation, helping these sectors to reduce their CO2 emissions and become more sustainable. This will save 350,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2eq) per year and contributes to achieving the CO2 emission reductions set out in the European Renewable Energy Directive II (RED II) and the Fit-for-55 package.
100% Circular
All side streams of the conversion process in the AMR plant will be used: the CO2 will be captured and goes to horticultural greenhouses in the region; the residual materials will be used for cement production; other flows, such as ammonia and salts, will be sold and used as a raw material for other industries and as road salt. In this way, a fully circular concept is created.
When the permit has been received, the detailed engineering and construction will start. This is expected to take place in the first half of 2023. The start of production of renewable methanol is planned for 2025.
Blueprint
Last year, GIDARA Energy announced Advanced Methanol Amsterdam; a state-of-the-art facility for renewable fuels. This facility now serves as a blueprint for AMR. The two facilities will be identical and use GIDARA’s patented HTW® (High-Temperature Winkler) gasification technology. This technology has been used commercially in four other plants for the production of syngas from waste.
“To meet the demand for cleaner fuels, a rapid expansion of GIDARA Energy’s production facilities is necessary,” says Wim van der Zande, CEO GIDARA Energy. “As we have standardized our design and modularized our application, we can directly replicate the Amsterdam facility in Rotterdam. The location, the quality of the infrastructure and the access to a broad network of partners were decisive factors in deciding on the location of our second facility. The cooperation with the Port of Rotterdam Authority makes it possible to develop an integrated product value chain from waste to fuel and other valuable by-products.”
CO2-neutral by 2050
The 9 ha AMR site is strategically located in the Botlek area of the Port of Rotterdam and is connected to raw material suppliers, storage terminals and other companies. The Port of Rotterdam Authority played an important role in making this site available. “The Advanced Methanol Rotterdam plant fits very well into our long-term vision for the transition of industry in the port,” said Allard Castelein, CEO Port of Rotterdam Authority. The port aims to be CO2 neutral by 2050.
One of the AMR facility’s larger intended customers will be Finco Fuel Group, a widespread network of companies including Gulf Bunkering, GoodFuels, Licorne Fuel, Dalergy Group and Gulf Netherlands. They are based in the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland. FinCo is a key player in the supply of various low-carbon energy carriers to make transport by road and water more sustainable.
“At FinCo, we aim to rapidly increase the share of sustainable, renewable fuels by adding new and innovative products to our portfolio,” says Bart-Willem ten Cate; Renewables Strategy & Development of FinCo Fuel Group. “An additional benefit of biomethanol is that it not only reduces CO2 emissions, but also improves local air quality.”
An extensive article on GIDARA Energy and its efforts together with TU Delft to make biomass gasification even cleaner, more efficient and more flexible will soon appear in Agro&Chemistry.
Image: impression of AMR at the new location/GIDARA Energy
