Steve Cook
Group Manager,
Decarbonization Technology
“My background in chemical engineering and business lets me wear two hats – technical and commercial – and I’ve carried that dual perspective throughout my career.”
Alongside his extensive academic background including a PhD in chemical engineering, Steve Cook has always been interested in the commercial side of the industry. Steve leads a team specializing in early-phase engineering development for hydrogen and its derivatives such as ammonia, methanol and liquid hydrogen, as well as pre and post combustion carbon capture.
“My group works through the concept phase to pre-FEED [front end engineering design] engineering for green and blue hydrogen and related technologies, including e-Methanol,” explains Steve. “We assess the economic viability of products, determine suitable technologies and recommend potential providers.”
e-Methanol gains traction
Over the years, Steve’s work has expanded into a broad range of decarbonization technologies. While his team’s efforts largely focus on ammonia, he notes a growing interest in e-Methanol thanks to its practical advantages including lower toxicity and corrosiveness than gases like ammonia.
“Some major shipping companies are interested in potentially using e-Methanol to fuel large cargo ships,” Steve says. “That’s one of the key initial markets.”
A worthwhile challenge
The challenge with e-Methanol production is that it requires a low cost energy source for hydrogen production alongside an economical carbon capture set up.
“You need to execute both hydrogen production and carbon capture projects simultaneously, and both processes need to be co located because of transportation challenges,” Steve explains. Despite the hurdles, Steve sees a promising future for this renewable fuel. “In the US Midwest, for example, we’re collaborating with decarbonization technology expert Topsoe to produce standardized, modular e-Methanol plants. These plants can be co located next to bio-ethanol plants, who produce biogenic CO2 as a byproduct. By pairing up, we can convert that CO2 into e-Methanol and meet growing demand for low-carbon fuels.”
Steve goes on to say that e-Methanol is an important solution because there’s a potentially large market for it. “We already have existing infrastructure to support it, and the technical basis for producing it is already within sight of current technology. That makes it a very practical way to reutilize these resources to accomplish decarbonization goals.”
Focusing on what works
“Our goal is to deliver a fair and balanced assessment of economic viability. If a project isn’t economically sound, we help clients realize that efficiently so they can focus on ideas that work,” Steve says.
“Not every idea will succeed, and that’s okay. What matters is dedicating time to the ones that can really drive the energy transition.”
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