Audi has taken another big step in the development of new, CO2-neutral fuels: A pilot plant in Dresden, Germany, has started production of the synthetic fuel Audi e-diesel.

After a commissioning phase of just four months, the research facility in Dresden started producing its first batches of high-quality diesel fuel a few days ago. The energy technology corporation sunfire is Audi's project partner and the plant operator. It operates according to the power-to-liquid (PtL) principle and uses green power to produce a liquid fuel. The only raw materials needed are water and carbon dioxide. The CO2 used is currently supplied by a biogas facility. In addition, initially a portion of the CO2 needed is extracted from the ambient air by means of direct air capturing, a technology of Audi's Zurich-based partner Climeworks.

Reiner Mangold, Head of Sustainable Product Development at Audi, sees Audi e-diesel and Audi e-fuels in general as an important component that complements electric mobility: "In developing Audi e-diesel we are promoting another fuel based on CO2 that will allow long-distance mobility with virtually no impact on the climate. Using CO2 as a raw material represents an opportunity not just for the automotive industry in Germany, but also to transfer the principle to other sectors and countries."

Production of Audi e-diesel involves various steps: First, water heated up to form steam is broken down into hydrogen and oxygen by means of high-temperature electrolysis. This process, involving a temperature in excess of 800 degrees Celsius, is more efficient than conventional techniques because of heat recovery, for example. Another special feature of high-temperature electrolysis is that it can be used dynamically, to stabilise the grid when production of green power peaks.

In two further steps, the hydrogen reacts with the CO2 in synthesis reactors, again under pressure and at high temperature. The reaction product is a liquid made from long-chain hydrocarbon compounds, known as blue crude. The efficiency of the overall process - from renewable power to liquid hydrocarbon - is very high at around 70 percent. Similarly to a fossil crude oil, blue crude can be refined to yield the end product Audi e-diesel. This synthetic fuel is free from sulphur and aromatic hydrocarbons, and its high cetane number means it is readily ignitable. As lab tests conducted at Audi have shown, it is suitable for admixing with fossil diesel or, prospectively, for use as a fuel in its own right.

Construction work on the facility in Dresden-Reick kicked off in July 2013 and the plant was commissioned on November 14, 2014. The plant is set to produce over 3,000 litres of Audi e-diesel over the coming months. Audi is sunfire's exclusive partner in the automotive sector.

Over and above the partnership with sunfire, Audi has been active in the development of CO2-neutral fuels - Audi e-fuels - since 2009. The Audi e-gas plant in Werlte,  Lower Saxony, already produces Audi e-gas (synthetic methane) in a comparable manner to power the Audi A3 Sportback g-tron*, which is available in countries in which a suitable fuelling infrastructure exists. Audi is also conducting joint research into the synthetic manufacture of Audi e-gasoline with Global Bioenergies, of France. In a further project, Audi has joined forces with the U.S. company Joule, which uses microorganisms to produce the synthetic fuels Audi e-diesel and Audi e-ethanol.

 

excellent news that, the fuel Giants will squash it though sadly.

Me likes:- As for the HC giants, perhaps they should concentrate more on things like lubricants?

excellent news that, the fuel Giants will squash it though sadly.

 

I can't see them squashing this, I think Audi is a big enough company not to bow down to them. It's about time a big company took something like this on. It's a joke the oil industry is stopping progress in moving away from fossil fuels

I can't see them squashing this, I think Audi is a big enough company not to bow down to them. It's about time a big company took something like this on. It's a joke the oil industry is stopping progress in moving away from fossil fuels

it would be nice to say up yours to the middle east and no we dont need your oil now and let them resume killing each other with impunity, but it wont happen, nobody cares about the environment, its money that makes the world go round.. and besides, how could they tax you for a product you can manufacture in you garden shed from sea water and air?

CO2 comes from a biogas plant where does the power come from?

 

I guess they must have a wind farm nearby unless they've broken the laws of physics.

CO2 comes from a biogas plant where does the power come from?

 

I guess they must have a wind farm nearby unless they've broken the laws of physics.

 

Germany has a much larger percentage of solar than we do. That's why they get a bit nervous during a solar eclipse. I think their mix includes about 7% solar They also have many wind farms as you mentioned making up about 32% total green energy.

It's going to be very expensive fuel.

 

Lost of power needed to crack CO2. If they can ramp up the efficiency it might even be useful as energy storage for off peak generation from wind farms.

Certainly sounds potentially more friendly than molten sodium batteries.

Cooling water from a nuclear power station is the obvious answer.

This never got much Media coverage this week.

Hydrogen Storage from the most productive Wind & Tidal energy generating location in the UK & this can happen where it is needed and connection 

to the Grid is to expensive.

http://emec.org.uk/press-release-integrated-hydrogen-system-for-tidal-energy-storage

 

Germany has real problems in being a high polluter and also running out of natural carbon burning resources to power their industies.

The Brown Coal burning in Germany is an absolute disgrace.

Edited 23 April, 201511 yr by goneoffSKi

it would be nice to say up yours to the middle east and no we dont need your oil now and let them resume killing each other with impunity, but it wont happen, nobody cares about the environment, its money that makes the world go round.. and besides, how could they tax you for a product you can manufacture in you garden shed from sea water and air?

 

I think its probably more likely the grip of Russia that Germany would like to free itself from.

I think its probably more likely the grip of Russia that Germany would like to free itself from.

 

 

I for one would like to welcome our Gazprom owning overlords

 

As mentioned, I wonder how long til this and all the tech mysteriously "vanish" as soon as it appeared? 

How is this news?

Lotus have been plugging this synthetic (non-bio) hydrocarbon fuel route for years (Flex-fuel Exige?). Its not rocket science. And to be honest it doesn't seem to have much of a future unless you use something like nuclear base load electricity at night. At 160 litres a day, we are many years off this being reality. I'm not expecting Tesla like innovation and speed from Audi.

Unlike say the hydrogen fuel cycle, Methanol has the advantage of using lots of existing infrastructure even down to vehicles.

Edited 27 April, 201511 yr by 'daiking'

Sounds good, so maybe it might not ever come into full scale production. But the key thing is that car makers and energy suppliers are working in partnership to solve a bigger problem.

 

Or something like that.

This synthesis of fuel is called the Fischer-Tropsch process and it's been known since 1925.

Audi did not invent it. It's been used before by the countries that could not procure enough fuel by other means (i.e., Nazi Germany during WWII).
Also, it's quite energy inefficient, meaning that you will spend way more energy than you'll be able to recover when you burn the fuel. The fuel you make will be much more expensive than producing fuel from oil.