150 experts from science and industry discussed the future of renewable fuels at the 3rd Technology Forum "New Liquid Energy Sources" on 26 September in Hamburg. In addition to presenting various production paths, the focus was on the future use of Future Fuels in mobility and heat supply.

Are existing oil heating systems in which synthetic or biogenic fuels are used just as reliable and durable as with conventional heating oil? The OWI Oel-Waerme-Institut is investigating this question in a current research project. The research institute is investigating whether the fuels produced in Power-to-Liquid (PtL) and Biomass-to-Liquid (BtL) processes are compatible with the existing heating technology. The advantage of these alternative fuels is their high potential for reducing greenhouse gases.

To enable the initial screening of the "Redifuel" at early project stages, surrogate fuels must be selected due to the limited availability of the final product at the beginning of the project. A large portion of the fuel will be made up by alcohols produced in the hydroformylation (HF) process. During the HF process not only linear but also branched alcohols are produced. Those are either not commercially available or very expensive. Max-Planck-Institute (MPI) provided a small sample of the target alcohol mixture (TAM) for analytics at OWI and Tec4Fuels.

Liquid fuels can behave very differently during evaporation in technical systems such as diesel engines or heaters. Evaporation is a process in which the liquid fuel is converted into a fuel gas. If fuel drops wet hot, metallic surfaces, deposits (coking) can form, but these are generally harmless. In a joint research project, the OWI Oel-Waerme-Institut and the Chair of Analytical Chemistry at the University of Rostock have investigated the conditions under which the extent of the deposits varies and, in rare cases, accumulate and can lead to malfunctions.

The aim of the new "MultiSchIBZ" research project is to significantly reduce the pollutants and greenhouse gases produced by shipping. A consortium led by thyssenkrupp Marine Systems GmbH is developing a fuel cell system as an alternative power generation on ships. This will improve the efficiency of the plants and prevent emissions even when fossil fuels are used - both in berth operations in ports and inland waterways and on the high seas. A further advantage is their almost noiseless operation which makes them fit more easily into the environment.

A new EU research project will design a novel small-scale cogeneration engine using biomass to produce heat and electricity, which could mainstream renewables in the heating and cooling sector. The project, called SmartCHP, has been launched today in Brussels by ten partners including European industrial companies, Universities and innovation experts, under the coordination of BTG Biomass Technology Group.