HIF Global announces its first project in Brazil

HIF Global announced its first project in Brazil for the development of an e-Methanol plant. It plans to produce up to 800,000 of this e-fuel per year using green hydrogen. The company signed a land reservation agreement with the Açu Port, located in São João da Barra in the north of the state of Rio de Janeiro, one of the main maritime terminals in the country.

The signing, which took place during the energy fair in Rio de Janeiro, establishes that HIF Global reserves a site within the port complex for its facilities. It should be noted that the port of Açu has a preliminary environmental permit to develop a hydrogen and derivatives hub and is emerging as a key player in the country’s value chain. For its part, the HIF Global initiative is expected to attract new investments, boosting the local economy.

E-Methanol as a fuel using green hydrogen

E-methanol is an alcohol (CH₃OH) produced with captured carbon (CO₂) from a biogenic source and synthesized with green hydrogen (H₂). In a chemical reactor, green hydrogen and captured CO₂ are combined by a catalytic reaction, forming methanol (CH₃OH).

It then goes through a process called methanol to gasoline (MtG). In this way, HIF Global would synthesize a carbon neutral fuel, which when used by the internal combustion engine, releases the recycled CO₂ without increasing global emissions.

E-methanol can be used as a fuel in different sectors, with its use being key in those complex to electrify, such as maritime transport, where it can replace the use of traditional fossil fuels.

One of the advantages of e-fuels is that they are chemically equivalent to the fuels currently used, which allows them to be incorporated into engines without the need to modify them.