Enerkem, the first company in the world to produce bio-methanol from mixed waste at commercial scale, and Dimeta, a joint venture between two of the largest off-grid energy suppliers, have announced that they are initiating feasibility studies for the development of two large scale projects that will convert waste into renewable and recycled carbon dimethyl ether (DME).
DME is a clean-burning fuel that can support decarbonisation of the off-grid energy sector, including heating, cooking, transport and industrial applications. As DME is chemically similar to Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG), it can be blended with it up to 20% and 'dropped-in' to existing LPG supply chains, providing a seamless pathway to reducing emissions from the over 200 million tonnes of LPG used for energy each year globally.
The projects are expected to be located in Northwest Europe and in the Gulf Coast of the United States, with each project anticipated to produce approximately 165,000 tonnes of renewable and recycled carbon DME per year from mixed residual waste. The impact of the DME produced from the two projects combined would be the equivalent of significantly reducing the carbon footprint of over one million LPG heated homes, when it is blended in with LPG.
In recent months, Dimeta and Enerkem successfully completed pre-feasibility studies for these projects and are now moving into the feasibility phase - targeting the start of Front End Engineering and Design (FEED) next year.
In addition to its commercial demonstration scale facility in operation in Alberta, Canada, Enerkem is currently involved in the development and building of new commercial scale waste-to-methanol facilities in both Canada and Europe. Enerkem will use the design and development of these facilities as the basis for the design of these new projects, combined with an additional methanol-to-DME synthesis step integrated at the end of the process.
The two DME projects with Enerkem build upon the announcement of the first of a kind waste-to-DME plant spearheaded by Dimeta in the United Kingdom, which is set to be operational in 2025. The projects with Enerkem are a key part of achieving Dimeta's goal of creating over 300,000 tonnes of sustainable DME production capacity by 2027.
"We are excited to collaborate with Enerkem to transform large volumes of non-recyclable waste into renewable & recycled carbon DME on a global scale. This partnership is another significant milestone in Dimeta's journey. Enerkem has vast experience in the development of renewable solutions, and I look forward to seeing how we continue to revolutionize DME to deliver a greener future for off-grid communities." says Frankie Ugboma, Chief Executive Officer of Dimeta.
"We are committed to supporting Dimeta in achieving their decarbonization goals. This development is an example of our technological platform's flexibility as a key enabler for hard-to-abate sectors. Our joint projects can form the basis for further project developments globally within the off-grid energy market and are an opportunity to expand Enerkem's waste-to-methanol platform," adds Dominique Boies, Chief Executive Officer of Enerkem.
About Enerkem
Founded in 2000, Enerkem develops and commercializes its ground-breaking gasification technology transforming non-recyclable waste into biofuels, low-carbon fuels and circular chemicals for hard-to-abate sectors, including sustainable aviation and marine fuels. Its solution tackles both challenges of waste management and dependency on fossil fuel products while contributing to the development of a circular economy for a sustainable, net-zero-carbon future.
About Dimeta
Established in February 2022, Dimeta is a joint venture between SHV Energy and UGI International, developed to further the production and use of renewable & recycled carbon dimethyl ether (DME) a low-carbon sustainable liquid gas. The organisation has a goal to create 300,000 tonnes of renewable & recycled carbon DME production capacity by 2027.