Deepened partnership
30 April 2020 – In March 2020, TEC4FUELS GmbH joined the Union for the Promotion of Oil and Protein Plants (UFOP) as a member. UFOP is a political lobby of companies, associations and institutions involved in the production, processing and marketing of domestic oil and protein plants. In addition to activities in the fields of rapeseed edible oil and animal feed, the association has succeeded in developing biodiesel into a showcase product among renewable raw materials. For example, biodiesel is now a mandatory component in conventional diesel fuel in a proportion of up to 7%. Biodiesel consists of fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) and can be produced from various biogenic raw materials such as rapeseed, sunflower or soybean oil, but also from biogenic residual and waste materials such as used cooking oil.
Although various new fuel variants with significantly increased GHG reduction potential are currently being developed, in the medium term only biodiesel is available in market-relevant quantities besides ethanol. Both together can make a contribution to significantly reducing CO2 emissions from fossil fuels in road traffic. The admixture of FAME to heating oil is also permitted in the space heating market, and heating system manufacturers have approved their appliances for a biofuel oil content of up to 10.9%. Recent research results show that under laboratory conditions, safe heating operation with higher FAME proportions or in mixtures with hydrogenated bio-based fuels is also technically possible. Field tests to verify these results are currently being prepared.
Coolaboration in partnership
TEC4FUELS and UFOP are working together in various quality assurance projects to ensure the operational safety and service life of oil-fired heating systems and engines in operation with biofuel oil or biodiesel and, more broadly, in combination with future renewable synthetic fuels. TEC4FUELS and UFOP underline a development strategy that makes the most efficient use of current and future greenhouse gas reduction potential. In this respect, market-launched biofuels play an important bridging role. With laboratory tests of different fuel blends in application-oriented hardware-in-the-loop test benches and long-term storage tests, TEC4FUELS is helping to define the framework conditions under which FAME or biodiesel can be reliably used. TEC4FUELS also offers its support in the subsequent field tests for the use of biofuel oil or biodiesel to back up laboratory results. In addition, TEC4FUELS uses its technical expertise in the UFOP expert commission “Biofuels & Renewable Resources” to support UFOP members in developing suitable strategies for climate protection with biogenic fuels for current and future challenges in the mobility and domestic heating market.
