International Transportation | Collection 2023 26 PRODUCTS & SOLUTIONS Alternative fuels Synthetic fuels in the traffic of the future On water, on land and in the air: a look at standards compliance and material compatibility E-fuels, Synthetic fuels, Standards, Regulations, Drop-in Ignition off, fuel cap out, nozzle in and off you go. This scenario happens millions of times every day at gas stations around the world. We are used to filling up our cars without thinking about whether the fuel is suitable for our car in the first place. Even when boarding an airplane or ship, we don’t waste a thought on the fuel. This is made possible by a complex structure of standards, directives, regulations, and laws, which ensures that all available fuels meet strict quality requirements. Jens Artz, Philip Ruff F or fossil fuels such as gasoline, diesel or kerosene, there is a historically evolved regulatory framework of national and international standards, regulations, directives and laws that are continuously updated and developed. This ensures nationally and internationally uniform, consistent fuel qualities for specific applications. Opening the market for alternative fuels In order to open up the market in the future for alternative “green” fuels produced synthetically or by biogenic processes, the extent to which existing technical and regulatory requirements are met must be examined at an early stage. Six fuelor technology-related requirements are particularly relevant for a successful market launch with maximum ecological benefits (Figure 1) and were the focus of a study by the ‘NormAKraft - Normkonformität alternativer Kraftstoffe’ (‘conformity to standards of alternative fuels’) project of the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK). For example, with only a few exceptions, there is an obligation to register chemical substances and mixtures with the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). Extensive physicochemical and (eco-)toxicological data are used to evaluate and guarantee the safe handling of the products. The following principle applies: “No data no market”, which is why the REACh registration status of the respective fuel is of essential importance for market entry. In addition, standards are a basic prerequisite for the market launch of fuels in Europe. Non-standardized fuels may not be marketed within the EU. For fuels and their blends that are not covered by the current regulatory framework, new standards must therefore be developed, or existing ones adapted and these in turn incorporated into the relevant national and international directives and regulations. Since this procedure can take several years, the relevant work should begin at an early stage of fuel development. Otherwise, the market entry may be delayed further. To enable unrestricted utilization in the existing fleet and existing infrastructures for storage, transport and distribution, the material compatibility should be as high as possible. In the past, incompatibilities with materials for example, when high ethanol blends were used led to considerable uncertainty and temporary non-acceptance by consumers due to inadequate communication. In order to identify and respond to such challenges at an early stage, the behavior of various components is already being investigated at different temperatures and storage times. If the alternative fuel shows comparable or even better performance than the fossil product, and this with significantly reduced fuel-specific emissions, then the chances are high that it can establish itself on the market and REAChregistration (ECHA) regulations e.g. RED / FQD & BImSchV emissions regulated & non regulated material compatibility no harm standardization DIN EN, ISO, IMO, ASTM performance fit for purpose fuel technology Figure 1: The six most relevant fuelor technology-related requirements for a successful market launch of synthetic fuels Source: Dechema International Transportation | Collection 2023 27 Alternative fuels PRODUCTS & SOLUTIONS thus make a contribution to the energy transition in transport. Fact Sheets on standard conformity and material compatibility of alternative fuels In their fact sheets on the conformity to standards and material compatibility of alternative fuels, the NormAKraft partners evaluated all currently possible alternative fuels as well as their blends with conventional fuels with regard to the fulfillment of these six core criteria. The evaluation covered: •• synthetic alternatives for classic fuels (hydrocarbons) - synthetic diesel (Fischer-Tropsch) - synthetic gasoline (methanol-to-gasoline) - synthetic paraffinic kerosene / Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) •• oxygenated fuels (Oxygenates) - methanol - dimethyl ether (DME) - oxymethylene ether (OME) - dimethyl carbonate and methyl formate (DMC/ MeFo) •• gaseous fuels - hydrogen - methane - hythane (methane-hydrogen mixture) - ammonia in marine applications The various production routes of the fuels studied are shown in figure 2 (for more detailed information on this, please refer to the further literature). Market lead for drop-in fuels The results from NormAkraft have shown: With the appropriate production capacities, in particular such synthetic fuel alternatives could quickly establish themselves on the market, that are already able to substitute conventional fuels to a high degree or even completely. These alternatives are also known as “drop-in” fuels. They include, for example, synthetic diesel and synthetic kerosene (both based on the Fischer-Tropsch process), but also the gases methane and hydrogen. These options already have REACh registrations and standardizations as fuels, are part of the relevant regulations and, in addition, their material compatibility, performance and emission behavior have been tested on the vehicle or aircraft. Renewable hydrogen and renewable methane are currently the only options in Germany that can be used as full substitutes - that is, 100 percent. Synthetic diesel may be blended at up to 28 percent according to the ordinance, and synthetic kerosene at up to 50 percent according to the international ASTM standard. Gasoline from the methanol-to-gasoline process and kerosene from the methanol-to-jet process are also about to be marketed, although the latter has not yet found its way into the ASTM standard. In contrast, other options are still under development, including the more specialized oxygenated fuels DME, OME, DMC/ MeFo, but also hythane and ammonia. Compared with conventional fuels, the oxygenated fuels have advantages above all in terms of emission behavior, since they burn in a much cleaner fashion due to the absence of carbon-carbon bonds. Thus, individual pollutants, such as soot or nitrogen oxides, are almost completely absent due to favorable operating modes. However, there is still a considerable need for research and development for some of these options regarding material compatibility and the design of new types of combustion concepts. These aspects are particularly challenging in the case of existing vehicles. In the case of the oxygenated options under consideration, standardization as a fuel is still pending at European level in Germany, initial standardization work is underway for methanol, while technical specifications (pre-standards) exist for dimethyl ether and oxymethylene ether. In the US and China, methanol is already being offered today, in O 2 geothermal hydropower industrial point sources H 2 O renewable energy co-/ electrolysis chemical conversion H 2 / CO H 2 wind solar biomass direct air capture (DAC) biogenic point sources CO 2 CO 2 water alternative fuels hydrogen (H 2 ) methane (CH 4 ) ‚hythane‘ (H 2 + CH 4 ) synthetic diesel synthetic gasoline synthetic kerosene (SAF) dimethyl ether (DME) oxymethylene ether (OME) dimethyl carbonate (DMC) methyl formate (MeFo) methanol ammonia (NH 3 ) N 2 air separation methanation Fischer-Tropschsynthesis methanol-to-gasoline methanol-to-jet oxygenate-synthesis methanol-synthesis Haber-Boschsynthesis Figure 2: Schematic overview of the various synthetic fuel production pathways for widespread use in diverse modes of transportation Source: Dechema International Transportation | Collection 2023 28 PRODUCTS & SOLUTIONS Alternative fuels some cases at high blending rates (85 to 100 percent). Anyhow, an EU standard does not yet exist, which is why this alternative fuel cannot be marketed in Germany yet. Challenges in the production of renewable hydrogen In addition, the regulatory framework for all synthetic fuels based on renewable electricity and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) is still challenging. This is especially true regarding renewable hydrogen, which is an essential building block to produce synthetic fuels. The Delegated Act on Article 27 of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED II) is particularly critical in this respect. This is mostly because the regulations it contains on ‘additionality’ and on the ‘temporal and geographical correlation’ (simultaneity) of the electricity generation create major hurdles, especially for pilot projects. But also, the question regarding where the CO 2 for fuel production may come from in order to be classified as climate-friendly has been challenging to date. The carbon sources favored by climate policy are very energyintensive or not yet technologically mature (direct air capture), or only available in limited quantities (use of biomass and waste streams). The availability of a constant carbon source is an important criterion for the choice of the production site and, under current conditions, limits the development of the technology and thus the market ramp-up under current conditions. This is because the Delegated Act on GHG methodology (Article 28 of RED II) limits the use of CO 2 from industrial point sources both in time (until 2036 from electricity generation, or until 2041 from other industrial processes) and to cases that are listed in the ETS or a comparable CO 2 levy system. On a positive note, the drafts of the revised RED III for transport in general and the ReFuelEU Aviation as well as the FuelEU Maritime regulations for shipping already include dedicated sub-quotas for Renewable Fuels of Non-Biological Origin (RFNBOs) as part of the legislation. Conclusion In summary, it can be said that, despite existing system compatibility, renewable fuels will have difficulty establishing themselves in the market without a defined regulatory framework. In the case of electricity-based fuels, the framework conditions for the provision of renewable electricity (additionality and simultaneity requirement) in particular must be worked out at the European level, and the standardization of individual options such as methanol, dimethyl ether, oxymethylene ether or ammonia must be further advanced. In the specific case of synthetic diesel fuels, the possibility of placing them on the market as pure fuels is also still pending in Germany. ■ Jens Artz, Dr. Senior Advisor E-Fuels and E-Chemicals, DECHEMA Gesellschaft für Chemische Technik und-Biotechnologie e.V., Frankfurt am Main (DE) jens.artz@dechema.de Philip Ruff, Dr. Projektmanager, DECHEMA Gesellschaft für Chemische Technik und Biotechnologie e.V., Frankfurt am Main (DE) philip.ruff@dechema.de AT A GLANCE ‘NormAKraft - Normkonformität alternativer Kraftstoffe’ (‘conformity to standards of alternative fuels’) was funded by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK) as a sub-project of the accompanying research for the “Energy Transition in Transport” initiative (Begleitforschung Energiewende im Verkehr, BEniVer) and coordinated by DECHEMA Gesellschaft für Chemische Technik und Biotechnologie e.V.. The seven partners from applied research and industry successfully completed the project on December 31, 2022. The complete study (in German) is available as a free download on the DECHEMA e.V. website. https: / / dechema.de/ normakraft IV Drittel quer.indd 2 IV Drittel quer.indd 2 28.08.2018 16: 22: 46 28.08.2018 16: 22: 46