Invensys boards VW-led biofuels project

London - Invensys Process Systems (IPS) has joined OPTFUEL, a European consortium researching the feasibility of using second-generation biofuels to power automobiles. The company is to provide process simulation, design and optimisation technologies for the Volkswagen-led project, which is targeting large-scale production of second-generation transport biofuels.

The OPTFUEL project started in February with a planning meeting of all the consortium partners. These include car makers Ford, Renault and VW; Choren Industries, a Freiberg, Germany-based engineering company; Conservation of Clean Air and Water in Europe (CONCAWE), representing the European mineral oil industry; and representatives of research institutes from France (IFP), Greece (CERTH), India (IITD) and the German project consultant SYNCOM.

The OPTFUEL project will establish the technical basis for the large-scale production - up to 200 kiotonnes per annum of biomass-to-liquid (BtL) products from wood chips that can be used in vehicles, either as neat fuels or by blending with conventional fossil fuels. The production process involves the gasification of wood residues at 1400°C, followed by the recombination of the gasified residues into sulphur- and aromatics-free liquids.

Advanced biofuels for evaluation in this project will be produced at CHOREN Industries' Freiburg beta plant. The BtL demonstration will begin with the cultivation of 200 hectares of fast-growing willow, poplar, and robinia trees on land near the Freiberg facility.

Automotive manufacturers and the oil industry will then work together to blend the BtL liquids, evaluate their exhaust emissions and explore their potential in current and future engine technologies. Earlier projects have shown that vehicles operating on neat BtL can achieve considerable reductions in exhaust emissions. In addition, the consortium will evaluate the economic aspects and potential of reducing energy and greenhouse emissions from all parts of the BtL production process.

"IPS is already very active in the design and simulation of green engineering applications for second-generation biofuels with clients around the world," said Gregor Fernholz, IPS senior technical consultant. "Joining the OPTFUEL consortium emphasises our commitment to research and development, and it will help increase our presence in this fast-growing sector as we search for alternative solutions to meet global demand."

"BtL is one of the biofuels which can make a substantial contribution towards maintaining individual mobility. Therefore OPTFUEL is part of the fuel and powertrain strategy of Volkswagen," said Dr. Frank Seyfried, head of the department for fuels and fuel cells in the group research of VW.