Sustainable production of methanol from biomass and renewable electricity: Launch of the MeOH-RES research project
21 October 2025
The launch of the MeOH-RES project, led by HI ERN, is the first step towards sustainable methanol production. Methanol is one of the world's most important chemicals and energy sources, but it is mainly been obtained from fossil fuels until now. The project aims to produce methanol in a climate-neutral way using biogenic residues and renewable electricity.
With an annual production of over 100 million tons, methanol is one of the world's most important chemicals and energy sources. Until now, it has been produced from fossil fuels such as natural gas, coal and crude oil. Therefore, the transition to climate-neutral production processes is considered a pivotal step in the transformation of the chemical industry and energy supply.
With the launch of the MeOH-RES project, a new demonstration project for sustainable methanol production from biomass and renewable energies has begun under the leadership of the Helmholtz Institute Erlangen-Nürnberg for Renewable Energy (HI ERN) in collaboration with research partners.
With MeOH-Res, we are showing how biogenic residues can be used efficiently and locally to produce clean energy. This contributes to a sustainable energy supply in a simple, environmentally friendly way, without the need for long transport routes.
OxFA process: conversion of biomass to formic acid
The process is based on the OxFA process (Oxidation of Biomass to Formic Acid), which was developed at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and has been the subject of previous research projects at HI ERN. OxFA GmbH in Scheßlitz near Bamberg is pursuing commercialisation. Biogenic residues from agriculture and forestry are selectively oxidised to formic acid under mild conditions. Formic acid is a natural substance found in plants, insects and foodstuffs, and it serves as a versatile chemical building block. It plays a particularly relevant role as a stable intermediate for the synthesis of liquid energy carriers such as methyl formate and methanol. An aqueous solution of formic acid can be used to produce many different chemical products.
Increased efficiency through the addition of methanol
When methanol is added to the process as an additive, the resulting formic acid reacts to form methyl formate. This step almost completely suppresses the formation of CO₂, thereby increasing the process's efficiency. Methyl formate is a liquid under ambient conditions and is easy and inexpensive to store. It can also be hydrogenated in a subsequent step to produce two molecules of methanol. Some of the methanol produced is recycled within the process, while the rest is made available as an energy source.
Decentralized application and use of renewable energy
The mild process conditions enable decentralized utilization of biogenic residues. The green hydrogen required for hydrogenation is provided by an electrolyzer, which is designed for flexible operation. This new concept's great potential lies in the formation of methyl formate as a stable intermediate product, which can be converted into methanol when renewable electricity is available, or stored cost-effectively during periods of electricity shortage.
Qualification of methanol
As part of the project, the produced methanol is analysed and qualified according to the International Methanol Producers and Consumers Association's (IMPCA) purity requirements, to rule out any adverse effects from biogenic residues. ASG Analytik-Service AG is a powerful and experienced partner for this project.
Project Background
Researchers from the Chair of Chemical Reaction Engineering at FAU and HI ERN have developed a joint concept for the sustainable production of methanol from biogenic residues and renewable electricity. These results were recently published in the journal Green Chemistry and will now be put into practice in the MeOH-Res project.
Funding and Duration
The project is funded by the Bavarian State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development, and Energy until mid-2028.
Project Partners
In addition to HI ERN, OxFA GmbH and ASG Analytik-Service AG are also involved. The Freudenberg Group, with its e-Power Systems division, is acting as an associated partner:
Further Information
„Sustainability: New ways of producing methanol from electricity and biomass” (FAU news from 8 September 2025)
Original Publication
Methanol production in a sustainable, mild and competitive process: concept launch and analysis
Phillip Nathrath, Fabian Kroll, David Karmann, Michael Geißelbrecht and Patrick Schühle, Green Chem., 2025, 27, 9268
https://doi.org/10.1039/D5GC01307K
