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The focus area 'Production'
Central challenges
Renewable fuels are still mainly produced in small quantities for research purposes. Only a few plants in Europe and the world are already capable of producing reFuels on a larger scale. In order to be able to ramp up production, technical issues and requirements need to be clarified in addition to other aspects. What suitable scalable solutions for the production of different fuels for air, ship and ground transportation could look like is the topic of the innovation focus on production.
How the innovation focus works
The innovation focus area Production deals with technologies for the production of renewable fuels. The focus is on processes that have sufficient technical maturity (TRL ≥ 5) to be transferred to industrial production in the foreseeable future. To support the market ramp-up, existing knowledge on these technologies is to be pooled, systematized and made available. A comprehensive literature review will be carried out for this purpose. In the course of the project, information on the relevant processes, raw materials used and fuels that can be produced will be systematically processed and presented in varying degrees of detail from different perspectives. The results of the work will be made available to stakeholders and interested parties in the form of workshops, reports, short reports, a glossary and other formats. The overarching aim is to provide a compact overview of the foreseeable process paths available for the production of renewable fuels in order to provide both experts and other interested parties with easy access to the topic. The production options and their strengths and weaknesses are presented as part of a decision-making basis.
The focus area is supervised by experts from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the Mineraloelraffinerie Oberrhein (MiRO)
"We are convinced that all renewable carbon sources must be used for the production of carbon-containing fuels and chemical products. Many different processes are needed to ensure that the various fuels and other chemical products required in the future are produced in line with demand. To support the market ramp-up of renewable fuels, we want to pool available technical knowledge on the production of renewable fuels, process it systematically and make it accessible to stakeholders and all interested parties at various levels of depth."
Prof. Dr. Nicolaus Dahmen, Institute for Catalysis Research and Technology (IKFT), KIT
MiRO mineral oil refinery contributes manufacturing expertise
In recent years, Mineraloelraffinerie Oberrhein MiRo has carried out various studies on implementing the production of renewable fuels. As part of the "reFuels - Rethinking Fuels" project, a concept for a reFuels demonstration plant on the MiRo refinery site was also developed. The design was for a power-to-liquid plant that can be used to produce kerosene and diesel using Fischer-Tropsch synthesis. It was examined howCO2-containing flue gas from existing refinery processes can be used in combination with renewable electricity and how the resulting PtL raw products can be further processed or blended in the existing refinery structure. Subsequent studies also looked at other essential factors that are important for the implementation of a PtL plant in an existing refinery structure. The sum of this preliminary work has equipped MiRo with unique prior knowledge, which it will now contribute to the InnoFuels platform.
"Together with our partners from industry and science, we are joining forces to drive forward the ramp-up of these fuels by identifying market barriers, defining framework conditions and preparing our findings for politics and industry. As a refinery location with over six decades of experience, MiRO brings both the necessary expertise for the technical application and integration into the existing refinery infrastructure as well as approvable space for the construction of plants."
(Frank Schäfer, Head of Strategic Development at MiRO)
From reFuels to InnoFuels
InnoFuels also has a history: some project partners have already been involved in the reFuels - Rethinking Fuels research project and gained important experience there: Under the umbrella of the Strategy Dialogue for the Automotive Industry of the State of Baden-Württemberg (SDA), research has been conducted since 2019 along the entire value chain of renewable fuels: from energy suppliers and fuel production to suppliers and system development through to engine and vehicle manufacturers.
In the Pageflow multimedia story, we have recounted the content and results of the reFuels project in sound and vision. If you are looking for a quick insight into the topic of regenerative fuels, this is the right place for you.