What is currently released from biogas plants into the atmosphere – separated and emitted biogenic CO₂ – could in future be converted into methanol using hydrogen produced from water by electrolysis powered by renewable electricity. Methanol is a renewable fuel that can be stored easily and could also be used directly in agriculture as a fuel for agricultural machinery.
On 10 September 2026, a containerised plant for the synthesis of green methanol was inaugurated at Stralsund University of Applied Sciences in the presence of Dr Wolfgang Blank, Minister for Economic Affairs of the State of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The plant was developed as part of the joint project “Decentralised Methanol Synthesis” by the Leibniz Institute for Plasma Science and Technology (INP), TAB Maschinen- und Stahlbau GmbH Barth, Stralsund University of Applied Sciences, the Leibniz Institute for Catalysis and the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems.
The project is one of the sub-projects of the WIR!2 alliance biogeniV, which focuses on the utilisation of biogenic residues. “Mecklenburg-Vorpommern offers excellent conditions for generating electricity from renewable energy sources and using it, together with biogenic residues, to create innovative products for our economy,” said Dr Wolfgang Blank. “The methanol synthesis plant is a strong example of this – and one that is ‘made in MV’. It brings together science, industry and regional resources. These are precisely the kinds of collaborative projects we need to secure sustainable value creation and new jobs in the state, and thus to make the most of the opportunities offered by the energy transition,” the Minister continued.
The project partners designed the plant over three years of collaborative work. It has been developed for decentralised operation and is therefore intended for use with typical farm-based biogas plants. Within the plant, CO₂ and hydrogen are converted into a methanol-water mixture by means of catalysis at approximately 240 degrees Celsius and an elevated pressure of 40 bar. The water is subsequently separated from the mixture. The pressure conditions within the system are carefully controlled to ensure stable thermal processes.
“The process demonstrates that we can store green hydrogen – in other words, hydrogen produced from renewable energy – in a liquid, with the potential to transport it worldwide,” explains Professor Johannes Gulden from the Institute for Renewable Energy Systems at Stralsund University of Applied Sciences.
The further development of the plant is the subject of a recently launched sister project. In addition to scaling up the system, the entire process chain will be further developed. This includes the treatment of biogas and the separation of the CO₂ it contains using membrane technology, a plasma stage to optimise the methanol synthesis process, an electrolysis system for local hydrogen production, and the subsequent concentration of the methanol.
The aim is to deploy the technology directly at a biogas plant and make the methanol produced available for agricultural use. The demonstration plant is expected to achieve a production capacity of up to 36 litres of methanol per day.
Launched in 2022 under the title “Biogenic Residue Utilisation for the Green Transformation”, the biogeniV joint project is funded through the WIR! “Wandel durch Innovation in der Region” (“Change through Innovation in the Region”) programme of the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space, with a regional focus on eastern Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Across all its sub-projects, the alliance comprises more than 55 partners from industry, research institutions and local authorities.
“We see green methanol produced in the region as an important building block for a resilient and climate-friendly future,” says Michael Galander. The Mayor of the Hanseatic City of Anklam is the spokesperson for the alliance. “These residues are available in large quantities in our region, and we can also provide the necessary green electricity from wind and solar energy.”
