A view of China’s first large-scale bio-methanol project in Zhanjiang, South China’s Guangdong Province in December. Photo: Screenshot of CCTV report.

China’s first large-scale bio-methanol project has officially entered full operation on Tuesday, which marks the country's strategic extension in the clean fuel sector including from hydrogen energy to advanced liquid fuel, according to a report by state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) on Tuesday. 

The shift could provide a practical and feasible de-carbonization solution for the global shipping industry.

The first phase of the project has an annual production capacity of 50,000 tons of green methanol, which has a purity rate as high as 99.9 percent, according to the report. The bio-methanol produced could be widely applied in shipping fuel, or used in pharmaceutical, chemical, and other fields.

The core part of the large-scale methanol production line is the gasification island, a massive blue-gray device, where large quantities of biomass waste, such as tree bark and straw, undergo high-temperature gasification at more than 1,000 degrees Celsius, and then produce the carbon monoxide and hydrogen needed for methanol production. 

Inside the device, there is also a “super vacuum cleaner” that can filter out more than 99 percent of the dust generated during production process. The remaining residue can be used as raw material for industries such as cement production, the CCTV report noted.

The green methanol is currently the sustainable alternative fuel for the shipping industry with the greatest carbon reduction potential and the strongest competitiveness. Compared to traditional fossil fuels such as coal and petroleum, methanol can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 85 percent over its full lifecycle, RenJian, chief engineer of CIMC Green Energy Low Carbon Technology Co, was quoted as saying in the report. CIMC is the developer of the project. 

The project has also established the first green methanol “production-storage-transportation-application” supply chain ecosystem in South China, the report noted. 

Authorities at the deep-water terminal of Zhanjiang Port, South China’s Guangdong Province, has deployed a 30,000 cubic meter of methanol storage tanks as well as loading and unloading berths, which is able to achieve a one-hour closed loop for “production-storage-transportation” of the bio-methanol. 

It has also built a “same-day delivery” network for ship bunkering in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, making it the closest domestic layout point for exporting green methanol to international ports such as Singapore. The deployment has significantly reduced the carbon footprint of methanol transportation, achieving end-to-end green and low-carbon operations, the report said.