In news from late last year, Sumitomo Chemical Corporation has completed work on a pilot facility and commenced production of methanol from CO₂ at its Ehime Works in Niihama City, Ehime Prefecture, Japan.

The purpose of the pilot is to demonstrate until 2028 the high efficiency of the process, and then move to commercial production and licensing the technology in the 2030s. Sumitomo’s process, developed with Professor Koji Omata of Shimane University Interdisciplinary Faculty of Science and Engineering, centres around an internal condensation reactor, which allows for the condensation and separation of methanol and water within the reactor. A mixture of hydrogen and carbon dioxide is fed through the catalyst bed of the reactor, producing methanol and water, with cooling water helping the condensation occur.

If the pilot is successful, the technology could prove to be influential in the changing industrial environment.