In Germany, gCaptain reports ICODOS GmbH, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, and the city of Mannheim’s wastewater management utility launched the world’s first facility to produce climate-neutral marine methanol from wastewater using biogas and green hydrogen, backed by a $2.2 million German government grant.
“We are proud to present the world’s first plant that converts wastewater into sustainable marine fuel using electricity,” said Dr. Vidal Vazquez, Technical Managing Director of ICODOS. The facility, named Mannheim 001, is located at the city’s municipal treatment site and will initially produce 50 liters of methanol per day.
Methanol is gaining traction as a marine fuel for reducing carbon emissions from shipping, a sector responsible for roughly 3 percent of global CO₂ output. Consortium partners say the project combines local waste recovery with renewable energy to build scalable low-carbon fuel pathways.
“The new plant impressively demonstrates how research and entrepreneurial spirit can produce practical solutions for the sustainable transformation of our economy,” said Professor Thomas Hirth, Vice President Transfer and International Affairs at KIT. A larger facility near Paris, already under construction, is expected to produce 15 times the volume by 2026. Further upscaling would be needed for ocean-going use.
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Category: Sustainable Marine Fuels
