Methanol touted as hydrogen enabler

Methanol-to-hydrogen reforming at point of use could sidestep need to transport and store the gas, conference hears

Methanol has a potential role in enabling the hydrogen economy as the versatile chemical can double up as a dense hydrogen carrier—effectively allowing hydrogen to be used in transport while sidestepping the complexity and high cost of storing and transporting it, according to speakers at the World Methanol Conference. Hydrogen’s promise as a transport fuel is undermined by its low energy density compared to conventional fuels and the logistical challenges of handling it as a gas. But methanol on a molecular level is four parts hydrogen to one part oxygen and one part carbon—meaning the industrial alcohol packs more hydrogen in a given volume than hydrogen itself—and is liquid at ambient tem