Dimethyl Ether – A Multi-Talented Fuel For Sustainable Mobility, Industry and the Energy Sector

• DME is a non-toxic and environmentally friendly gas with a very low global warming potential. Its GWP₁₀₀ is 0.3 CO_2eq.
• The water requirement for DME production is reduced by approximately 45% compared to ammonia. This is an increasingly important aspect, especially in light of water scarcity in energy-exporting countries.
• The 47% higher hydrogen storage capacity of DME compared to ammonia is made possible by steam reforming of DME in the importing country.
• If DME is used as a hydrogen carrier, a closed DME/CO₂ cycle can be established, in which DME is exported from the producing countries and CO₂ is imported.
• DME has excellent combustion properties with a lower tendency to form soot, which is due to the chemical structure of the missing carbon-carbon bond.
• DME increases resilience in energy supply because it is easy to liquefy and therefore easy to store.
• Sustainable production: Fraunhofer ISE has developed a particularly efficient, resource-saving, and cost-effective process for DME production (INDIGO), which is significantly more efficient than the fossil-based process.

By using low-carbon hydrogen for the production of DME and, where applicable, simultaneously using CO₂ from biogenic sources or direct air capture (DAC), CO₂ emissions in transport, the chemical industry and the energy sector can be significantly reduced. Skillful process management also enables DME production as a negative emission technology.

DME offers advantages over other energy sources, but there are still gaps in research that need to be filled. These research questions concern the supply of CO₂ (e.g., through direct air capture, DAC, and reverse water gas shift reaction, RWGS), synthesis gas (reforming, gas purification, adjustment of an optimal gas mixture (CO, CO₂, H₂). Furthermore, questions regarding the stability of the catalyst in the INDIGO process need to be answered and cost-optimized process concepts developed. With regard to the production of fuels and chemicals from DME, improved catalysts need to be identified and characterized and integrated into an optimized process. Another focus is on the development of active, selective, and stable catalysts for low-temperature DME reforming. In addition, one of the goals of our research activities is to develop an optimized, scalable reactor design, including process control and concepts for innovative DME reforming.

Learn more about our technology topics related to dimethyl ether

• Production of dimethyl ether
• Reforming of dimethyl ether
• Transport of dimethyl ether
• CO₂ and synthesis gas supply for the production of dimethyl ether
• Dimethyl ether in the energy system -/location-/GIS/LCA/TEA analyses