INEOS to produce fuel from household waste

London - INEOS has unveiled a new process technology that, it said, will enable it to produce commercial quantities of bioethanol fuel from biodegradable municipal waste, organic commercial waste and agricultural residues within the next two years. The technology is designed convert each tonne of dry waste into about 400 litres of ethanol, which can either be blended with traditional fuels or replace them altogether.

According to the chemicals company, the technology uses a simple three-stage process that has already proven at pilot plant scale, said INEOS. Waste is first superheated to produce gases. Then, through a patented process, the gases are fed to naturally occurring bacteria, which efficiently produce ethanol. Finally, the ethanol is purified to make the fuel ready to be blended for use in cars.

"We expect to announce the location of the first commercial plant fairly shortly and we will aim to quickly roll out our technology around the world. We plan to be producing commercial amounts of bioethanol fuel for cars from waste within about two years," said Peter Williams, CEO of INEOS Bio. "The fact that we have been able to decouple second generation biofuel from food is a major breakthrough, and we expect our technology to provide cost competitive, sustainable, renewable fuels."