Bioethanol

Applications

Bioethanol - mobility with a future

The future of bioethanol is proverbially “on the road”. Bioethanol is already available as a fuel in several different forms today. Renewable and climate-friendly, it is helping to ensure that mobility has a future. Over eighty percent of the world’s ethanol production is used in the fuel sector.

Bioethanol as a fuel for all internal combustion engines

What many consumers do not know is that, in Europe, petrol today already contains bioethanol or ingredients manufactured from it. European standard EN228 regulates what chemical properties the various grades of petrol may have, and what ingredients they may contain. It also permits the addition of bioethanol in various ways:
  • as a high-performance fuel component
    The production of the octane booster ETBE (ethyl tertiary butyl ether) continues to be the main application of bioethanol in the European fuel sector. ETBE is composed of around 47% ethanol and 53% isobutylene and is used as a petrol additive to enhance its anti-knock properties. Petrol in Europe is permitted to contain up to 15 vol.-% of ETBE.
  • as a direct additive
    In accordance with the fuel standard EN228, every litre of petrol that comes out of a petrol pump at a German filling station is permitted to contain up to 5 vol.-% of bioethanol. This fuel is called E5. All vehicles with internal combustion engines in Germany are cleared to use this fuel. In many other countries, for instance in the USA, too, petrol has already contained up to 10 vol.-% of bioethanol for years.
    In order to meet the EU targets on biofuels, it is likely that the direct blending of bioethanol in petrol in the EU will rise sharply in the coming years. With the amendment of the European Fuel Quality Directive of April 2009 the European Union is establishing the technical parameters for the introduction of E10 fuel, i.e. the blending of 10 vol.-% of bioethanol in petrol, throughout Europe. France was the first EU member state to start introducing E10 fuel nationwide in April 2009.

Bioethanol in E85

E85 fuel blends - such as the CropPower85 produced by CropEnergies – have a bioethanol content of up to 86% and can be used on vehicles that have been specially designed or converted to run on it, so-called “Flexible Fuel Vehicles” (FFVs). A technically relatively simple modification enables FFVs to run both on conventional petrol and on bioethanol-petrol blends with a bioethanol content of up to 86%. For the motorist, this means a unique flexibility as it is possible to choose between two types of fuel according to availability and price. As it is also possible to use ordinary petrol, mobility is assured also during the transition phase while a nationwide network of filling stations selling E85 is being built up in Germany. A number of car manufacturers are already selling models with flexible fuel technology in Germany, and others are due to follow in 2009.
For technical reasons, it is not advisable to use 100% bioethanol as fuel in our temperate climatic regions. That is why E85 is used in Europe. The addition of petrol improves cold-starting characteristics in the winter. Owing to its high bioethanol content the use of E85 on a nationwide basis offers the greatest potential for reducing the dependence on fossil fuels.

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