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The transition of the current fossil based chemical industry to a carbon-neutral industry can be done by the substitution of fossil carbon for defossilized carbon in the production of base chemicals. Methanol is one of the seven base chemicals, which could be used to produce other base chemicals (light olefins and aromatics). In this research, we evaluated the synthesis of methanol based on defossilized carbon sources (maize, waste biomass, direct air capture of C O 2 (DAC), and C O 2 from the cement industry) by considering carbon source availability, energy, water, and land demand. This evaluation was based on a carbon balance for each of the carbon sources. Our results show that maize, waste biomass, and C O 2 cement could supply 0. 7 , 2 , 15 times the carbon demand for methanol respectively. Regarding the energy demand maize, waste biomass, DAC, and C O 2 from cement demand 25 , 21 , 48 , and 45 G J t o n M e O H separately. The demand for water is 5300 , 220 , 8 , and 8 m 3 t o n M e O H . And lastly, land demand was estimated to 1031 , 36 , 83 , and 77 m 2 t o n M e O H per carbon source. The high-demanding-resource production of defossilized methanol is dependent on the availability of resources per location. Therefore, we analyzed the production of defossilized methanol in the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, China, and the USA. China is the only country where C O 2 from the cement industry could provide all the demand of carbon. But as we envision society becoming carbon neutral, C O 2 from the cement industry would diminish in time, as a consequence, it would not be sufficient to supply the demand for carbon. DAC would be the only source able to provide the demand for defossilized carbon. • A match between the availability of carbon, energy, and water resources per location is needed. • Carbon-neutral carbon sources availability is overlooked in the defossilization of the chemical industry. • The energy demand to produce hydrogen is greater than the energy demand for capture of C O 2 . • The availability of renewable energy determines the production location of defossilized methanol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Solar-assisted PCM- based co-electrolysis of H 2 O and CO 2 for methanol production. • Energy, exergy and economic analysis of proposed high temperature innovative system. • Solar-to-fuel efficiency, methanol production and levelised fuel cost have competitive index. The co-electrolysis of H 2 O and CO 2 in a solid oxide electrolyzer cell (SOEC) integrated with solar energy leads to the development of renewable or near-zero emission technology for methanol production. Renewable methanol synthesis utilizing H 2 O and CO 2 captured from different industrial processes has received much attention. In this paper, a high-temperature electrolyzer integrated with solar dish collectors and photovoltaic arrays is proposed and investigated for syngas production and methanol synthesis. Phase change material is used for long-duration thermal energy storage to make an uninterrupted operation. Thermo-economic and technical feasibility analysis of the proposed system is performed and the most influential operating parameters (direct normal irradiance, current density, SOEC operating temperature and pressure) are varied to evaluate the system's performance by parametric study. The hourly data for the year 2021 of the direct normal irradiance (W/m2), wind speed (m/s) and ambient temperature (°C) for the studied location in China is accessed and presented. The results of the study show that solar-to-fuel efficiency and methanol production rate are 29.27 %, and 41.85 kg/h, respectively, while the levelised cost of fuel (LCoF) is calculated at approximately 0.399 Euros/kg. The sensitivity analysis for the economic and thermodynamic structure is conducted and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Coal methanol's environmental impact is 2.0–3.6 times higher than other routes. • 73–81% impact is on ecosystems, and 10–12% on human health in five pathways. • The most environmental impact-sensitive indicator is electricity. • After optimization, the impact can be reduced by 85.2% for the new route. The surge in methanol demand as a fuel source, coupled with global resource competition, necessitates innovative routes for bulk chemical production, including methanol. China, a prominent methanol producer and consumer, drives industry expansion, raising substantial environmental concerns. This article compares the state-of-the-art "liquid sunlight" methanol production technology with traditional pathways through a cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment. The research analyzed ten environmental impact categories and two endpoint categories. It revealed that the coal gasification to methanol has the most severe comprehensive environmental impact, which is 2.0–3.6 times that of the other four routes. For these five technological routes, 73% to 81% of the impact is on ecosystem damage, followed by 10% to 12% on human health damage. This research find that adopting 100% clean energy electricity can reduces of 79.6%, 64.4%, 81.4%, and 81.0% in cumulative impacts for coal gasification/coal coking/natural gas/biomass to methanol by sensitivity analysis and electricity optimization. In the CO 2 capture route, the potential reduction achieved 54.9% by electricity optimization, while the impact can be lowered by 85.2% when optimizing both steam and electricity. To ensure competitiveness, CO 2 capture to methanol route must be combined with clean electricity resources. In summary, modifying technology or optimizing clean electric power can advance the methanol industry towards sustainable goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]