What is Renewable Methanol?

Renewable methanol is a low‑carbon fuel and chemical made from sustainable, non‑fossil sources. It delivers the same performance as traditional methanol but with a dramatically smaller environmental footprint. Because it’s chemically identical to conventional methanol, it can be used in today’s global methanol markets, marine fuels, and chemical manufacturing without changing equipment or infrastructure.

Cetna’s process to make Renewable Methanol

Cetna’s process produces renewable methanol using sustainably sourced wood residues and wood wastes generated from regional manufacturing operations. These biomass materials undergo steam reforming, where they are thermochemically converted into a clean intermediate feed gas. The resulting feed gas is then routed through a Fischer-Tropsch reactor, which catalytically converts the gas into a crude methanol. The crude methanol is then distilled to extract the pure methanol.

Carbon intensity

Renewable methanol can achieve:

• Reduce lifecycle emissions by 70–95% GHG reduction vs. fossil methanol

• Net‑zero or net‑negative CI when using waste biomass

• Replace fossil‑based feedstocks in the chemical industry

• Significant reductions in SOx, NOx, and particulate emissions when used as a fuel

Biomass‑derived methanol is especially attractive because the carbon is biogenic, not fossil.