By Trine Reinholt Andersen, AAU Technology Transfer Office

Today, Power-to-X is considered essential for the green transition and the decarbonization of a range of sectors such as heavy-duty transport, aviation, and shipping which all require fuel in a liquid or gaseous form, as the weight of batteries for electrification would be too heavy. Green e-fuels such a e-methanol is one of the solutions to this problem.

A UNIQUE TECHNOLOGY

REintegrate, a spin-out from Aalborg University, has developed a unique system for the production of green e-methanol based on the concept of Power-to-X (PTX). PTX is a term covering a range of conversion technologies able to turn surplus renewable energy into a variety of clean e-fuels and chemicals, such as e-methanol.

Through a series of unique processes, REintegrate’s system is able to produce e-methanol by combining hydrogen and surplus CO2 from e.g. biogas plants or the industry in general. E-methanol is easy to handle and has a range of applications, including fuel for heavy-duty transport but also as a raw material for plastic manufacturers to assist the production of sustainable plastic products. Furthermore, the production of e-methanol creates heat as a by-product which subsequently can be utilized in the industrial sector or for green district heating.

FROM PILOT PLANT TO ACQUISITION AND FULL-SCALE PRODUCTION

The idea for the unique technology is based on years of research within electrolysis by former Professor Søren Knudsen Kær from AAU Energy at Aalborg University who early on spotted a business opportunity. This initiated an interest in e-methanol synthesis systems and led to the foundation of REintegrate in 2018 together with co-founder Lars Udby.

In 2019, the EUDP funded project “Power2Met”, including Aalborg University and REintegrate as project partners, resulted in the design and construction of a complete pilot plant capable of combining CO2 and hydrogen to produce liquid e-methanol. The plant was situated at Aalborg University and in 2020, the first drops of e-methanol were produced.

In 2021, the pilot plant was able to produce 300.000 liters of e-methanol per year serving as a demonstration project. Same year, REintegrate entered into a collaboration and was later acquired by the Danish renewable energy company European Energy as part of the company’s new PTX division with Søren Knudsen Kær as Head of Technology.

The success of the pilot plant and Søren Knudsen Kær’s research from Aalborg University has since then formed the basis for a range of e-methanol projects.

Some of the biggest projects are the establishment of Denmark's first industrial scale sized plant for green e-methanol production in GreenLab Skive with a capacity of 16,000 tons per year, and the Green CCU Hub Aalborg project with a goal of producing around 75,000 tons of e-methanol per year. Circle K og A.P. Møller-Mærsk are some of the companies who have entered into agreements with European Energy about purchasing e-methanol.

THE COMMERCIALIZATION PROCESS

AAU Technology Transfer Office have worked closely with Professor Søren Knudsen Kær in the process of validating the reported inventions related to the novel system. From the beginning, our team assisted with the clarification of the commercial opportunities for the company as well as IPR rights and freedom to operate. In collaboration with Open Entrepreneurship, a sustainable business model was developed when the idea for REintegrate emerged.