Kassø-produced e-methanol has been converted into three gasoline grades in an 86-tonne trial aimed at proving renewable methanol can be used as a feedstock for drop-in transport fuels, according to European Energy.
The e-methanol from the Kassø Power-to-X facility in Aabenraa, Denmark, was processed under the DeCarTrans research project at TU Bergakademie Freiberg’s large-scale pilot plant.
The methanol was converted into synthetic gasoline using the CAC METHAFUEL process developed by CAC ENGINEERING GmbH and TU Bergakademie Freiberg. Lother Group, through NORDOEL, and eFUEL GROUP then upgraded the product into RON95 E10, RON98 E10 and RON102 gasoline grades.
The Kassø plant is owned by Solar Park Kassø, a joint venture between European Energy A/S and Mitsui & Co., Ltd. It produces RFNBO-certified e-methanol using green hydrogen from renewable electricity and water, combined with captured biogenic CO2.
The facility has annual production capacity of about 42,000 tonnes and supplies e-methanol to industrial customers in shipping, chemicals and fuels.
European Energy said the conversion shows that renewable methanol can be refined into RFNBO-compliant fuels compatible with existing vehicles and distribution systems, without engine or infrastructure modifications.
“We see e-methanol as a flexible intermediate that can be used across multiple fuel pathways. This project shows that production at Kassø can support further processing into fuels compatible with existing infrastructure,” said René Alcaraz Frederiksen, EVP and head of Power-to-X at European Energy. “eMethanol creates an industrial bridge between renewable power generation and market ready liquid fuels,” said Hanspeter Tiede, managing director of Lother GmbH. Prof. Martin Gräbner, professor of energy process engineering at TU Bergakademie Freiberg, said the process delivered a 90% CO2 reduction compared with conventional fuels and increased productivity at the Freiberg pilot facility.
The DeCarTrans project is backed by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport with EUR 14.93m ($16.9m) in funding under the Renewable Fuels programme.
European Energy A/S is a Danish renewable energy company founded in 2004 that develops, builds and operates solar, wind, battery storage, Power-to-X and energy infrastructure projects.
Mitsui & Co., Ltd. is a Japanese trading and investment company active across energy, infrastructure, chemicals, mobility, minerals and industrial sectors.
TU Bergakademie Freiberg is a German public technical university with research and pilot-plant work in energy, resources and process engineering.
CAC ENGINEERING GmbH is a German engineering company involved in process technology and synthetic fuel production systems.
Lother GmbH is a German fuel company operating under the NORDOEL brand. eFUEL GROUP is a Germany-based company involved in synthetic and renewable fuel upgrading.
