The design and development of biofuels for the automotive industry presents a variety of questions that must be answered in a collaborative process between the automotive industry, the petroleum industry, and policy makers on a global scale.

1. The design of biofuels for the automotive industry
Introduction
The design and development of biofuels for the automotive industry presents a variety of
questions that must be answered in a collaborative process between the automotive
industry, the petroleum industry, and policy makers on a global scale. The EU Renewable
Energy Directive (RED) has targeted a biofuel content of transport fuels of 10% by 2020.
With the majority of European states failing to reach the 2010 target of 5.75%, this raises
several considerations in terms of the processes required to deliver the integration of
biofuels into the overall fuel mix.
The infrastructure of supply and distribution must be in place to support biofuels, and
research into fuels which can ‘drop in’ to existing supply lines needs significant development.
The overall energy efficiency of biofuels must be assessed on an industrial scale. Currently
there are demonstration projects in place for most second generation biofuels, although
many of the processes of manufacture are at laboratory stage, and the fuels cannot be
considered economically or environmentally viable until the whole production process is
streamlined for cost and energy efficiency. The greenhouse gas overhead of the entire
production process must also be considered; many first generation biofuels reduce carbon
emissions far less than first thought due to the release of carbon gases during production.
It is also a problem of political and social consideration, due to the sheer volume of biomass
that must be produced in order to manufacture enough biofuel to satisfy demand. Energy
crops cannot be allowed to become competitive with food over the use of agricultural land,
particularly in developing countries. Policy makers must also look at the fiscal benefits and
rewards for the petroleum industry and the automotive industry to facilitate the introduction
of biofuels.
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2. The automotive industry has developed several prototypes and some commercially available
vehicles designed specifically for use with biofuels, which represents a positive outlook for
the future; but there is also a need to develop fuels that can integrate into existing
infrastructures and be used in existing vehicles. To this end there is still a requirement to
facilitate industrial scale production and supply of first generation biofuels in the mid-term.
Biofuels and practical uses
Biodiesel
European heavy duty engine manufacturers permit a maximum 5% blend of biodiesel with
mineral diesel, in line with EN590 mineral diesel specification, to maintain warranty on their
engines. In Germany, however, biodiesel is made from pure oil seed rape to conform to the
European standard EN14214, and it is used commercially as a B100 mix. Scania and DAF are
two vehicle manufacturers who have approved the use of 100% RME biodiesel in new
engines, which have more tolerant components. Other manufacturers such as Renault are
more conservative, only approving a B30 mix at this stage on certain new models.
In terms of engine performance, biodiesel reduces emissions and can improve lubrication
and reduce engine wear. It has a higher cetane index than mineral diesel, giving it better
ignition and combustion properties and reducing ‘engine knock’ characteristics.
Bio ethanol
Bio ethanol can be used in a mix with petrol, and older spark-ignition engines can tolerate a
5% blend of ethanol with petrol. Newer cars can accept a 10% blend (E10), while flexible
fuel vehicles first developed in Sweden are now commercially available and can run on E85;
an 85% ethanol and 15% petrol mix. Fuel consumption is considered to be worse than
conventional fuel by a factor of 1.5 for pure ethanol, 1.4 for E85. Ford, Saab and Volvo are
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3. three manufacturers supporting the use of bio ethanol as a transport fuel, by manufacturing
FFVs that can run on E85. Saab’s 9-5 Bio power model is pictured below.
Source: Saab
Sustainability may prove to be the biggest obstacle of using bio ethanol on an industrial
scale. It is generally derived from crops like sugar cane and corn, and there are concerns
over biodiversity and carbon neutrality due the amount of land that would need to be
redeveloped for crop growth.
Biobutanol
Biobutanol is subject to more and more research and development as a viable alternative to
bio ethanol. It has several properties that give it and advantage over other existing biofuels.
It can be created from raw cellulose biomass as well as food-based feedstocks, which means
it has the potential to be more viable on an industrial scale. It has a low water affinity, so
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4. can be used with existing pipelines and infrastructure. Biobutanol can be mixed at 85% with
mineral petrol, without the need to modify engines, and has 25% higher energy content
than bio ethanol. Butanol has a higher flashpoint and a lower vapour pressure than ethanol,
so is much easier to store and safer to handle. While ethanol needs to be blended with petrol
shortly before being used, butanol can be blended at a refinery and utilise the same supply
lines and retail pumps already in use. Several demonstration plants are in operation to
develop the technology to mass produce biobutanol for use as a transport fuel. It is expected
to be commercially available by 2013.
Biogas
Biogas produced by anaerobic digestion of landfill waste, agricultural and manure waste, and
food waste presents a viable and sustainable feedstock. The UK produces 30 million dry
tonnes of such waste per year, which could produce 6.3 million tonnes of oil equivalent of
methane gas. This volume could potentially supply 16% of transport fuel demand, but there
are several problems surrounding the use of biogas. It can only be used with specially
designed vehicles, or those that were originally designed to run on natural gas. Although
more economical than diesel by 40% and petrol by 55%, the initial capital outlay for vehicles
and the lack of refuelling stations present logistical problems for practical use. Dual fuel
vehicles such as Volkswagen’s bi-fuel Golf (pictured below), have two separate fuel systems,
with a back up petrol system should the gas supply run out. In use for several years, these
bi-fuel vehicles are the only solution in the interim until natural gas, and therefore biogas,
becomes widely available.
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IQPC GmbH | Friedrichstr. 94 | D-10117 Berlin, Germany
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Visit IQPC for a portfolio of topic-related events, congresses, seminars and conferences: www.iqpc.de