Innovative green methanol: lighting the way for the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou

On the evening of September 23, the 19th Asian Games commenced in Hangzhou with a captivating opening ceremony.

The remarkable moment saw a “digital torchbearer” and swimming Olympic champion WANG Shun jointly lighting the cauldron, a moment that held the global audience spellbound.

This unprecedented digital cauldron-lighting ceremony began with a Transformer-like digital figure – made up of over 100 million virtual sparks, each representing a participant of the online torch relay. Notably, this marked the first instance in the history of the Asian Games where green methanol served as the torch fuel.

Methanol, a low-carbon fuel, is characterized by safety, efficiency and clean emissions. The green methanol used during the Asian Games was synthesized through a catalytic reaction that involved captured and recycled carbon dioxide and hydrogen. However, converting these components into a viable torch fuel is not in the least simple. “To ensure the safety, stability and aesthetic appeal of using this new fuel for cauldron lighting, we had to perform rigorous simulated calculations, verification tests and iterative optimization from scratch,” remarked Prof. GAO Xiang, fellow of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and director of the Institute of Carbon Neutrality at Zhejiang University.

Prof. GAO Xiang's team has long been committed to researching into the optimized and sustainable utilization of energy resources. They have achieved a series of breakthroughs in green fuel production and utilization. Their involvement in the Hangzhou Asian Games encompassed six crucial tasks, including but not limited to the design of the core combustion device for the primary torch, combustion optimization, green fuel production, fuel storage and transportation.

The team conducted tests above the main torch on the roof of the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium.

To this end, Prof. GAO Xiang assembled a specialized research team consisting of more than 50 experts from the Asian Games Committee, Zhejiang University, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, the Baima Lake Laboratory, Zhejiang Energy Group and Zhejiang University of Technology. Through theoretical calculations, full-size numerical simulations, advanced combustion diagnostics, testing and evaluation of complex meteorological conditions and durability, they successfully surmounted a series of formidable hurdles. These included ensuring reliable and safe ignition, stable and clean combustion, and precise control of flame shape and color. Moreover, they also synthesized green methanol from carbon dioxide captured from flue gas and green hydrogen generated using renewable energy, thereby achieving the capture and utilization of carbon dioxide and the preparation of green methanol.

Questions concerning the safety of fuel storage, transportation and replenishment, as well as the torch’s resilience in adverse weather conditions, remained paramount. Prof. GAO Xiang’s team diligently tested data and fine-tuned their strategies before integrating this innovative technology into the opening ceremony.

“The design of the primary torch and the cauldron-lighting ceremony are highly classified, necessitating that each test take place after the withdrawal of other rehearsal personnel from the venue,” Prof. GAO Xiang explained. “It is late at night that we worked in full swing. After the lighting of the primary torch, we conducted extensive temperature and combustion product tests at a height of more than 60 meters, above the flame with an ambient temperature of more than 50 degrees Celsius. We also had to closely monitor and evaluate air quality at various locations in Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center. These tasks were performed after the midnight. Meanwhile, we also crafted multiple optimization plans in accordance with the test results to guarantee the safety and reliability of the device during operation,” he added.

Prof. GAO Xiang led the team in carrying out the main torch security work at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium.

As a special expert with the Environmental Protection Department of the Asian Games, Prof. GAO Xiang was also present at the opening ceremony to witness the triumphant lighting of the primary torch. “I am very happy and proud! We will accelerate the application of methanol and other green fuels in various sectors, thus advancing the nation’s green and low-carbon agenda by means of scientific and technological innovation.”

Photo credit: the research team led by Prof. GAO Xiang, Xinhua, Qianjiang Evening News