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Future Liquid Fuels from Theory to Practice: Eurofuel discusses perspectives with tomorrow’s fuel experts

A delegation of Eurofuel’s Board of Directors met with experts and practitioners of future liquid fuels in Eastern Germany, to discuss the potential and perspectives of various technologies.

Modernising the existing stock of Europe’s oil boilers is certainly a priority to make energy savings for consumers and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Hybrid heating systems are another way to further limit the environmental impact of residential buildings. However, achieving the ambitious climate and energy policy objectives set by the European Union and the Paris Agreement will also require a progressive use of liquid fuels with reduced greenhouse gas emissions. 

But what are these future fuels like?

(Power-to-Liquid installation at Freiberg University)

A study conducted by the Freiberg University of Mining and Technology identified in theory a large range of bioliquids and synthetic fuels, which could be progressively mixed up with mineral oil to reduce emissions by closing the carbon loop. Some are already available today on the market, for instance hydrogenated vegetable oil (HVO). Others may be in a medium to longer term, depending on supportive framework conditions and adequate investment.

In late November 2017, a Eurofuel delegation met with scientists from the Freiberg University, as well as the Brandenburg Technical University of Cottbus-Senftenberg and the Dresden-based company Sunfire, to discuss and see in real life how future fuels are produced.

(Sunfire installations in Dresden, from left to right: Martin Reichard (IWO-Austria), Jeremy Hawksley (OFTEC), Dr. Ernst-Moritz Bellingen (Eurofuel President / IWO), Nils Aldag (Sunfire), Beat Gasser (EV/UP) and Pekka Huttula (FPBA))

Besides the hydrotreatment of vegetable and waste oils, promising technologies included algae-based fuels and “e-fuels” produced from renewable electricity and carbon dioxide with the so-called “Fischer-Tropsch” synthesis process.

All these technologies showed a high degree of maturity and have proven successful in demonstration projects. Further communication and investment in larger-scale generation capacities would certainly facilitate the deployment of these innovative fuels.

(Algae lab at Senftenberg University, from left to right: Dr. Peter Waldeck (TU Senftenberg), Lilli Dombrowski (TU Senftenberg), Jeremy Hawksley (OFTEC), Dr. Ernst-Moritz Bellingen (Eurofuel President / IWO) and Pekka Huttula (FPBA))

Eurofuel will closely follow scientific, technology and market developments in this field, and raise awareness among all actors in the supply chain to make tomorrow’s liquid fuels a reality.

(The Eurofuel delegation at Sunfire in Dresden. From left to right: Jeremy Hawksley (OFTEC), Dr. Ernst-Moritz Bellingen (Eurofuel President / IWO), Pekka Huttula (FPBA), Nina Harrendorf (IWO), Martin Reichard (IWO-Austria), Beat Gasser (EV/UP) and Tristan Suffys (Eurofuel Secretary-General))

(Photos: Eurofuel)