Transforming Wasted Methane into Low-Carbon Fuel: Lessons from Scaling Hard Tech
Stranded gas, such as landfill gas or associated gas, is an underutilized feedstock that is commonly flared or vented. Improved utilization of stranded gas faces two primary technical/economic challenges. First, the gas is inherently distributed geographically, and the supply varies temporally, which requires rethinking the characteristics of the chemical plant used to process the gas. Second, methane – the primary constituent of stranded gas – is relatively inert and requires activation through a synthesis gas intermediate prior to conversion to useful products. This methane activation step requires reforming chemistry which adds to the cost and complexity of the plant. This presentation describes the use of piston engines as non-catalytic, partial-oxidation reformers, providing an enabling technology for distributed production of chemicals from stranded gas resources. More broadly, this presentation provides a perspective on technical, economic, and environmental aspects of scaling low-carbon, maritime fuel production.
Bio: Paul Yelvington is the CTO and co-founder of M2X Energy, an end-to-end developer of modular bio-methanol plants. He has been active in process development, sustainable energy, biomass and fuels research for over 20 years. Yelvington is a chemical engineer by training, receiving his B.S. from North Carolina State University in 1999 and his Ph.D. from MIT in 2004. Prior to M2X, he served as the CTO of the RAPID Manufacturing Institute, a public-private partnership created to promote efficiency and sustainability within the chemical process industry, where he managed a portfolio of nearly 40 projects.