News | September 7, 2021

Nextchem's MyRechemical And Johnson Matthey Team Up To Commercially Develop Waste-To-Methanol Technology

A new milestone in Maire Tecnimont Group’s green acceleration roadmap: MyRechemical, NextChem’s subsidiary dedicated to waste-to-chemical technologies, and Johnson Matthey (JM), a global leader in sustainable technologies, will jointly cooperate to commercially develop "waste-to-methanol" technology worldwide.

This waste-to-methanol technology has its roots in the chemical conversion of non-recyclable municipal waste, which would otherwise be disposed in landfill or incinerated, into valuable syngas used to produce methanol. Through the chemical conversion of non-recyclable municipal and industrial waste, mainly plastic and dry waste, the resulting hydrogen and carbon oxides can be used to produce more sustainable chemical products.

The methanol derived from this process can be used as an intermediate for low-carbon additives in the blending of gasoline and diesel, replacing the fossil-based component with one derived from recycling, as well as a raw material for the chemical, construction and plastic industries. Ultimately this ensures a lower carbon footprint, demonstrating the sustainability of this technology. Methanol is an important intermediate product used in many goods that play a role in everyday life such as resins, plastics, insulation and fibres. It can be used as a fuel in transportation and, critically, is a potential enabler for decarbonisation.

This agreement involves JM’s proven syngas-to-methanol technology, which transforms synthesis gas using a robust and reliable chemical catalytic process to implement new waste-to-methanol plants. Additionally, MyRechemical will integrate JM’s syngas-to-methanol technology into the waste-to-chemical process in order to commercialize this waste-to-methanol technology worldwide.

Source: Johnson Matthey