Aromatics are currently primarily sourced from fossil feedstocks and are found in various products such as plastics, adhesives, paints, pharmaceuticals, surfactants, and solvents. The versatile application and processing of aromatics is largely driven by small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The methanol-to-Aromatics (MtA) route offers the potential to produce BTX aromatics (benzene, toluene, and xylene) as important chemical commodities and fuel components in a renewable manner. Methanol is produced from renewable syngas (H2, CO/CO2) and catalytically converted into aromatic hydrocarbons. 
Current technology employs catalysts that tend to be deactivated by coke deposits very quickly, resulting in a decrease in selectivity towards aromatics over time. In this research project, knowledge-based catalyst development significantly enhances the selectivity and long-term stability of these catalysts. One promising approach is the incorporation of metal promoters to the catalyst, which support the aromatization reactions of hydrocarbons. Furthermore, regeneration strategies are developed and the aromatic mixtures are evaluated for their physicochemical properties such as soot formation tendency during engine combustion and separation into pure substances for the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Finally, the application of the MtA process with modified catalysts in standalone plants and refinery complexes, considering the separation of products into pure aromatics, is examined through a process model.

Research association:
DGMK Deutsche Wissenschaftliche Gesellschaft für nachhaltige Energieträger, Mobilität
und Kohlenstoffkreisläufe e.V.
Große Elbstraße 131
22767 Hamburg

Further participating research institution:
OWI Science for Fuels gGmbH
Kaiserstraße 100
52134 Herzogenrath

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