SynergyFuels – Synergies by Integrating the Use of Biomass and Power-To-X for the Production of Renewable Fuels

Challenges

In Germany, various technologies such as fuel cells, batteries, and renewable fuels are available to minimize CO₂ emissions in the transport sector. Electromobility alone is not enough to make transport climate-neutral. Existing fleets and applications that are difficult to electrify, such as in shipping and aviation, will still require large quantities of renewable fuels for a long time to come. The sustainable supply of carbon remains a challenge in the production of e-fuels, i.e., synthetic fuels produced using renewable electricity and CO₂. On the other hand, advanced biofuels produced from biogenic residues are not very efficient in their use of carbon because up to 50 percent of the carbon available in the biomass is lost during conversion to CO₂. This increases the demand for raw materials.

Project goals

The SynergyFuels project integrates nine e-fuel and biofuel synthesis plants into a single refinery concept, combining material and energy resources. The utilization of biogenic residues is combined with power-to-X processes. This creates synergies: the combined approach increases both carbon efficiency and the energy efficiency of fuel production. The project aims for the rapid scaling of renewable fuel production processes to the final stage before manufacturing.

Project plan

Existing technical demonstrators from the project partners are being optimized and supplemented with newly tested processes. A wide range of fuels, designed for difficult-to-electrify transportation applications, will be produced from biogenic residues with minimized energy and raw material requirements. The properties of these fuels will be described using relevant fuel parameters, and their operational suitability and emission behavior will be tested.