{"id":35129,"date":"2017-10-17T10:19:00","date_gmt":"2017-10-17T10:19:00","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2020-06-02T11:58:30","modified_gmt":"2020-06-02T11:58:30","slug":"10129-could-methanol-replace-diesel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dialogue.earth\/en\/pollution\/10129-could-methanol-replace-diesel\/","title":{"rendered":"Could methanol replace diesel?\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>With cars expected to go electric over the next 10 years, automakers like Tesla are now looking to do the same with trucks. China is also exploring alternatives, with some calling for the use of\u00a0methanol as a replacement fuel for diesel.<\/p>\n<p>The technology for using methanol\u00a0has been in development for over 40 years in China and\u00a0may offer a cheaper route to &#8220;greener&#8221; trucks. But so far it&#8217;s failed to reach the market, held back by local vested interests\u00a0and technical constraints.<\/p>\n<p>China\u00a0showed its commitment to developing methanol fuel by issuing\u00a0national standards\u00a0for\u00a0its\u00a0production in 2009. But you won&#8217;t see any methanol-powered trucks on the roads\u00a0despite the fact that\u00a0diesel vehicles, notably trucks, are\u00a0still a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mep.gov.cn\/gkml\/hbb\/qt\/201706\/t20170603_415265.htm\">major contributor<\/a> to China&#8217;s\u00a0air pollution.<\/p>\n<p>So what obstacles have hampered methanol use and is the fuel still worth pursuing given the current buzz about electric trucks?\u200b<\/p>\n<div class=\"factbox pull-right\">\n<header><\/header>\n<div class=\"content\">\n<div id=\"mc_embed_signup\">\n<form id=\"mc-embedded-subscribe-form\" class=\"validate\" action=\"\/\/chinadialogue.us1.list-manage.com\/subscribe\/post?u=6585f82da0cf6d1feb1edfd55&amp;id=5db8c84b96\" method=\"post\" name=\"mc-embedded-subscribe-form\" novalidate=\"\" target=\"_blank\">\n<div id=\"mc_embed_signup_scroll\">\n<div class=\"clear\"><strong style=\"font-size: inherit;\">Diesel phase-out<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/form>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The advantage of methanol over diesel is that it produces fewer pollutants when burned. The fuel is a liquid made from synthesising carbon monoxide and hydrogen from oil, coal or biomass, which means it can be made with coal and biomass resources\u00a0from\u00a0within China.<\/p>\n<p>Methanol works in combustion engines and has been widely used in motorsports.\u00a0Currently, it offers a much cheaper alternative to electric trucks for long haul transport because there is no\u00a0requirement\u00a0for expensive and heavy batteries.<\/p>\n<p>Whether the future of trucking is based on methanol, batteries\u00a0or another energy source such as fuel cells, the pollution from diesel engines must be addressed.<\/p>\n<p>Diesel vehicles only account for one tenth of China\u2019s total fleet of 295 million vehicles but in 2016 they caused 68.7% of all vehicular emissions of nitrogen oxides and over 99% of primary particulate (PM) emissions. Other <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bjepb.gov.cn\/bjhrb\/xxgk\/jgzn\/jgsz\/jjgjgszjzz\/xcjyc\/xwfb\/607219\/index.html\">research<\/a> by the Beijing environmental authorities in 2014 found that vehicles were responsible for two thirds of the PM2.5 pollution \u2013 particles smaller than 2.5 microns \u2013 in the city.<\/p>\n<p>Heavy goods vehicles account for the bulk of diesel vehicles. The primary method of reducing emissions from diesel trucks is the installation of emissions-reducing equipment and spot checks to ensure compliance. But this complex system has proved to be ineffective.<\/p>\n<p>In the hugely popular 2015 environmental documentary <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/news\/energy-environment\/wp\/2015\/03\/16\/this-documentary-went-viral-in-china-then-it-was-censored-it-wont-be-forgotten\/?utm_term=.3b3af5ea0776\"><em>Under the Dome<\/em><\/a>, former CCTV anchor Chai Jing accompanied law enforcement officials on spot checks. She found that many diesel vehicles display stickers indicating they meet China\u2019s Stage IV emissions standards \u2013 when in fact they\u2019ve taken no measured to reduce emissions.<\/p>\n<p>Vehicles that aren\u2019t fitted with equipment to reduce particulates often have levels 500 times greater than the Stage IV standards allow \u2013 and that ignores other types of pollutants such as nitrogen oxides.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWidespread \u2013 or even pervasive \u2013 fraud is the industry\u2019s secret,\u201d said Li Kunsheng, head of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bjepb.gov.cn\/bjepb\/413526\/331443\/331834\/331850\/index.html\">vehicular emissions office<\/a> at Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau\u00a0commenting in the documentary.<\/p>\n<p>Government authorities have responded to the problem with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zhb.gov.cn\/gkml\/hbb\/bwj\/201708\/t20170824_420330.htm\">more spot checks and pollution monitoring<\/a> but some argue that more drastic action is needed. One option is a complete switch over to methanol fuel.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Is methanol the answer?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Methanol burns more cleanly than diesel to produce less carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulates.<\/p>\n<p>And methanol is\u00a0cheap to produce. Wei Anli, deputy secretary of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ciceia.org.cn\/\">China Internal Combustion Engine Industry Association<\/a> estimates that converting a heavy goods vehicle so that it can run on methanol and diesel would cost between 20,000 and 25,000 yuan (US$ 3,000-3800), while the fuel itself is three yuan a litre \u2013 half the cost of diesel. He suggests that for an average annual distance travelled of 200,000 kilometres, a vehicle that had engines to burn methanol and diesel would recoup its conversion cost\u00a0in four to six months.<\/p>\n<p>But there are problems with using it too. Methanol is harder to ignite and requires careful storage and distribution because it\u2019s corrosive.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 100%; height: 100%;\" src=\"https:\/\/chinadialogue-production.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/content_image\/content_image\/3426\/image__2_.png\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"caption\"><strong>Source:\u00a0<\/strong>US\u00a0Energy Information Administration, based on Argus Media Group<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>China invests in methanol<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In 2009 the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sac.gov.cn\/\">Standardisation Administration of China<\/a>, the central government body responsible for industry standards, issued regulations for methanol fuel (covering 100% methanol and an 85:15 mix of methanol and diesel, known as M85), giving methanol vehicles legal status.<\/p>\n<p>Local governments set up methanol production facilities as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/cms\/s\/0\/acd4b4ca-7b60-11db-bf9b-0000779e2340.html?ft_site=falcon&amp;desktop=true#axzz4r2MYFCeD\">it was thought<\/a> that methanol could reach 10% of the market. In 2012, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology held successful <a href=\"https:\/\/www.miit.gov.cn\/n1146285\/n1146352\/n3054355\/n3057542\/n3057546\/c3634255\/content.html\">trials<\/a> in Shanxi, Shanghai and Shaanxi provinces, with Guizhou and Gansu later included.<\/p>\n<p>US energy expert Michael Krancer once <a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/michaelkrancer\/2015\/05\/19\/in-midst-of-oil-boom-perhaps-u-s-should-look-to-another-fuel-methanol\/#3d2aceb857ad\">pointed to China\u2019s success<\/a> in developing methanol vehicles to call for the US to take its own methanol sector more seriously.<\/p>\n<p>But despite the research and pilots, methanol vehicles are still struggling to reach the market. Less than 50 methanol service stations operate in China today.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Less than 50 methanol service stations operate in China today.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>A lack of joined-up government<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Methanol is classed as a type of new energy and so falls under the jurisdiction of the National Development and Reform Commission\u2019s National Energy Administration (NEA).<\/p>\n<p>This means that standards for the usage of methanol as a vehicle fuel require the NEA\u2019s approval. However, development has stalled due to rival interests in ethanol fuel, which tap into provincial government rivalries. Ethanol is produced using corn which grows in abundance in the country&#8217;s poor north-east, an area the government has made a priority to regenerate. Therefore, there is an interest in promoting ethanol over methanol in some areas.<\/p>\n<p>There are other problems with bringing methanol vehicles to market. The use of methanol as a fuel requires the installation of a methanol tank and a separate\u00a0engine to combust it \u2013 but the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.cn\/banshi\/2005-08\/23\/content_25575.htm\">Road Safety Law<\/a> forbids changing the structure of a registered vehicle.<\/p>\n<p>Unfortunately, this impasse looks set to continue. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Science and Technology maintain that there is nothing they can do to resolve the problem.<\/p>\n<p>A lack of policies to promote methanol mean that such vehicles miss out on generous state subsidies for new energy vehicles. The MIIT\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.miit.gov.cn\/n1146295\/n1146557\/n1146624\/c5462995\/content.html\">definition<\/a> of a new energy vehicle includes fully-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, which are driven by electric motors, but does not include\u00a0alternative fuels.<\/p>\n<p>This weak policy support means investors have sidestepped methanol. He Guangyuan, former head of the National Machine Industry Department, <a href=\"https:\/\/finance.chinanews.com\/auto\/2015\/10-30\/7596727.shtml\">said<\/a> in a 2015 interview with <em>Economic Information Daily<\/em>, \u201cIf we could come up with one tenth or even one hundredth of the policy or financial support given to electric vehicles for promoting methanol, it would be much better developed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Methanol\u2019s dirty secret<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Another problem is that even if China went ahead with a programme to convert trucks to methanol, the\u00a0environmental impact of the fuel would still be controversial.<\/p>\n<p>As China has limited oil reserves, it makes methanol mostly from coal. This is problematic, according to a <em>Greenpeace<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/eastasia\/Global\/eastasia\/publications\/reports\/climate-energy\/2017\/FINAL-%20Estimating%20carbon%20emissions%20frmo%20China%27s%20Coal-to-Chemical%20Industry%20during%20the%2013th%20Five-year%20Plan%20period%20.pdf\">report<\/a>, because the coal-to-chemical industry is water intensive and highly polluting. Under the 13<sup>th<\/sup> Five-Year Plan, the sector\u2019s carbon emissions are expected to increase four-fold to 409 million tonnes by 2020. This will challenge China\u2019s ability to meet its domestic emissions reduction targets.<\/p>\n<p>Greenpeace energy and climate campaigner Gan Yiwei says that \u201cusing coal to make fuel as part of the response to climate change or to reduce emissions is a mistake.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Producing methanol from coal is simply less efficient and more polluting than producing gasoline or diesel from petrochemicals. Methanol may produce less vehicular pollution locally, but overall it\u2019s worse for the climate.<\/p>\n<p>Wei Anli argues that methanol production plants are relatively clean because the concentration the carbon dioxide, which constitutes 94% of waste gases, can be captured. However, any environmental advantages of methanol rely on the use of high-tech carbon capture and recycling equipment.<\/p>\n<p><em>Li Jinxue also contributed to this article<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>China&#39;s 40-year&nbsp;development of methanol fuel trucks is a history of&nbsp;hope, setbacks and controversy, writes&nbsp;<strong>Feng Hao <\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2265,"featured_media":59765,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[760],"tags":[520],"hashtags":[],"country":[],"class_list":["post-35129","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pollution","tag-coal"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v26.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Could methanol replace 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