French industrial biotech company Global Bioenergies and German carmaker Audi reached a key milestone in their multi-year agreement: renewable gasoline components were produced and shipped to Audi. Using its Leuna Demo plant, Global Bioenergies has produced high-purity renewable isobutene, which was further converted by the Fraunhofer Institute into high-performance gasoline additives including isooctane, ETBE and isododecane. These e-fuels will be used in engine testing by Audi, in complement to those already performed by Global Bioenergies.
Currently, a small part of Global Bioenergies’ ton scale isobutene production is directed toward e-fuels, using Fraunhofer’s lab scale conversion unit. From the e-fuel produced, a batch of 60 litres was delivered to Audi. The e-fuel production capacity will be significantly increased in 2019 with the addition to the Leuna Demo plant of a dedicated fuel production unit, which will allow the production of renewable gasoline batches.
“We are proud – Marc Delcourt, CEO of Global Bioenergies declared – to have met this milestone based on renewable isobutene-derived gasoline. Audi brings to our technology development a clear path to market perspective.”
“The objective of the partnership with Global Bioenergies – Reiner Mangold, Head of sustainable product development at Audi said – is to develop sustainable e-benzin to our customers, as a voluntary contribution of Audi to reduce the automotive carbon footprint. We are very pleased with the progress and team work with Global Bioenergies.”
Global Bioenergies, listed on Euronext Growth Paris, is one of the few companies worldwide, and the only one in Europe, that is developing a process to convert renewable resources into hydrocarbons through fermentation. The French company initially focused its efforts on the production of isobutene, one of the most important petrochemical building blocks that can be converted into fuels, plastics, organic glass and elastomers.
IL BIOECONOMISTA 