[Digestion] conversion of syngas to liquid fuel

[Zietsman, Rex]

Hi Listers,

It strikes me that generating a liquid fuel from biomethane has to be
one of the major synthesis routes of the future. The benefit of
biomethane is that it already comes without nitrogen that the syngas
route can only produce using pure oxygen. And, the capital and operating
costs are pretty low and within the grasp of the small guy. 

The question is: who can we go to to get a small conversion system to
produce say methanol? Nearly all of the systems out there are for big
industry not the small guy. 

I am willing to go into partnership/provide some funding/build
prototypes/etc to produce say 500 kg to 1000 kg/day of methanol - my
small farm can sustain that production. Surely there is an enterprising
petrochem engineer out there who does this sort of thing in their sleep
who wants the heady rush of building something unique? I know for
example that a low temperature catalyst was developed by Air Products
(and Haldo Topso?) to do this on a large scale >300 tons/day. I also
know that they started at the 1 ton/day scale to prove the concept
before scaling up. So, it can be done. The question is: who wants to
help me develop this? If not yourself, do you know someone who might be
interested?

For the record, my financial model says there is enough money to be made
down at this level to provide a comfortable living to a retired chemical
engineer - I will be there soon and want to have fun pottering about,
keeping my hand in. And, if someone else wants to do the same thing, I
will gladly help them. This list and the gasification list have been a
great education for me and I am happy to give back knowledge that I have
gained.

Kind regards
Rex Zietsman
Johannesburg, South Africa