One of the distinct advantages of methanol is the diversity of feedstocks that can be used in its production. Anything that is, or ever was, a plant can be transformed into this clean transportation fuel and chemical feedstock. You might be familiar with natural gas – methanol’s primary feedstock – but some of the other methods of producing methanol may surprise you. Take, for example, the processes being perfected by three exciting companies in Europe:

BioMCN, based in the Netherlands, was the first company to begin taking glycerin; a byproduct left over from biodiesel production, and turn it into renewable methanol. In 2010, BioMCN opened up the world’s largest 2^nd generation biofuel plant, with an annual production capacity of 250 million liters. That’s enough clean fuel to make a serious contribution to the renewable fuel standard set forth by the European Union.

Our friends at Chemrec AB are also turning an uncommon feedstock into renewable methanol. Each year, a viscous liquid called ‘black liquor’ is left behind from pulp and paper mills worldwide. Rather than simply burning the black liquor feedstock off in waste-to-energy plants, Chemrec has introduced technologies that can transform any paper mill into a “biorefinery” capable of converting black liquor into renewable methanol, and another product that can replace diesel fuel, called DME.

Finally, Carbon Recycling International (CRI) is transforming the CO2 emissions from Iceland’s world-famous geothermal power plants and turning them into renewable methanol. After the success of their pilot plant in Reykjavik, CEO K.C. Tran expects CRI to scale up production to an “industrial scale” by September 2011 with a 5-million liter a year plant which will convert the CO2 emissions of the HS Okra power station into renewable methanol. In addition, CRI has announced tentative plans to build a CO2-to-methanol plant in Northern Iceland which would use the emissions from Landsvirkjun’s 60 MW geothermal facility in Krafla to produce over 100 million liters of methanol annually.

Innovative technologies are being demonstrated around the world for producing methanol from a host of different resources. Polygeneration—the ability to produce a type of fuel from different feedstocks — makes methanol one of the most advantageous renewable resources available today.  It is flexible and allows for local production based on the abundant resources of a specific geographic region, benefiting local economies and creating sustainable fuels that are less susceptible to pricing spikes.

For more information on and links to factsheets on BioMCN and Carbon Recylcing International, check out methanol.org’s renewable methanol page.