Researchers and industrials exchanged about the challenges of developing and using new synthetic fuels in order to reduce the environmental impact. More than 50 participants attended the presentation of TotalEnergies Luxembourg-Belgium at the University of Luxembourg.
Potential of new biofuel
Hydrotreated vegetable oils 100% (HVO100) is a new generation of biofuel that can be produced from plants (colza, corn, maize, soybean, sunflower), oily-residues, waste food or in the future also from algae.
In the refinery, hydrogen is added during the hydrotreatment, before purification and distillation take place. HVO100 reduces the CO2 footprint by minimum 50 % up to 90 % compared to fossil Diesel, depending on the biomaterials used. The topic is now covered by the European standard EN 15940 entitled “The automotive fuels – paraffinic diesel fuel from synthesis or hydrotreatment – requirements and test methods”.
“The HVO market is still small but has important potential to be ramped up to large scale, as this new generation of fuels is very stable with respect to heat and ultraviolet irradiation than predecessor bio-carburants. The fuel is technically mature and may be used without change in Diesel engines or in classical fuel oil heaters, where only the flame detector in the burner must be changed, because of the different colour of the flame. HVO100 burns better, emits 29 % less NOx and 20% less particles than fossil fuel and is even less noisy during combustion. HVO is exempted from rising CO2 -taxation in EU and may be mixed with fossil Diesel”, explains Jacques Vankeerberghen, Product Energies and Interactive Administration Manager at TotalEnergies.
Development in Luxembourg
HVO100 is already present in Luxembourg and can be bought at the Total service station in Bettembourg in the Modal Hub and will be soon available in Mertert. It has today extra cost of approx. 20-25 % with tendency to decrease in the future. HVO-domestic fuel oil may soon be ordered too and HVO petrol/gasoline is about to be market ready.
This event was held in the frame of the Interreg North-West Europe Project “Green Skills and Knowledge for Hydrogen” (Green SKHy).
