China Launches Its First Commercial-Scale Bio-Methanol Project in Guangdong

China's inaugural commercial-scale bio-methanol project — CIMC Green Energy's 50,000-tonne-per-year biomass gasification green methanol demonstration facility — officially commenced operations in Zhanjiang, Guangdong on 16 December. The inaugural batch of green methanol products has been delivered via international maritime bunkering at Shenzhen Port, providing critical technological support for China's shipping industry's low-carbon transition.

This pioneering project represents the world's first application of a biomass gasification-Fischer-Tropsch synthesis coupled with biomass direct combustion power generation pathway. It converts biomass waste such as bark and straw into green methanol with 99.9% purity, suitable for marine fuel and pharmaceutical-chemical applications. Compared to methanol production via biomass coupled with wind/solar green electricity, this technology reduces production costs by 30%, offering significant economic advantages. Experts note that biomass, as the sole carbon-containing zero-carbon energy source, is regarded as a crucial viable pathway for shipping decarbonisation through the ‘gasification-synthesis' process for producing green liquid fuels.

The demonstration project's core gasification island employs circulating fluidised bed biomass gasification technology independently developed by the Institute of Engineering Thermophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, implemented in collaboration with Hefei Coal Gasification Technology Co., Ltd. Here, biomass waste undergoes gasification to produce carbon monoxide and hydrogen required for methanol synthesis, while residual ash serves as industrial feedstock for cement and other applications, achieving resource circularity.

This technology resolves three major industry challenges: system instability caused by wide variations in biomass properties, system paralysis due to low ash melting points and high tar by-product generation, and alkali metal corrosion of equipment. It thereby overcomes critical bottlenecks at the front end of the industrial chain. The research team innovatively proposed a ‘phase-separated asynchronous conversion' approach. By coupling ‘mild gasification' with ‘semi-coke autocatalytic pyrolysis', it achieves in-situ directed pyrolysis of tar while preventing coking. This reduces tar formation at source and enhances syngas yield. This technology also successfully resolves uniform fluidisation of diverse, large-disparity particles and prevents alkali metal ash corrosion, clearing obstacles for efficient, stable, long-cycle biomass syngas production and unlocking a critical link in high-value green fuel manufacturing.

The project has now established South China's first complete green methanol supply chain ecosystem encompassing production, storage, and utilisation. Large-scale storage tanks and dedicated berths at Zhanjiang Port enable a one-hour closed-loop production-storage-transportation cycle. A same-day delivery network for vessel bunkering has been established across the Greater Bay Area, positioning it as China's closest green methanol supply point for international ports such as Singapore, significantly reducing the carbon footprint of transportation.

Green methanol represents the most economically viable alternative fuel with the greatest carbon reduction potential for the shipping industry. Compared to traditional fossil fuels, its full lifecycle carbon emissions can be reduced by over 85%. This project has successfully established a key technological pathway from waste biomass to high-value green liquid fuel. It not only provides a practical solution for China's shipping industry to fulfil its emission reduction responsibilities but also contributes significant ‘Chinese wisdom' and a ‘Chinese pathway' towards achieving the global net-zero emissions target by 2050.