Conference paper
THE ROLE OF BIO-ETHERS IN MEETING NATIONAL BIOFUEL TARGETS
Walter Mirabella
; European Fuel Oxygenates Association
Abstract
The European Union (EU) clean air strategy has consistently focused on ensuring that the correct fuel is available to enable the introduction of the next generation of clean vehicles. This has led to a harmonisation of fuel quality across the EU. By far and away the major grade of gasoline is Euro Super (95 RON; 85 MON), with Euro Regular (91 RON; 81 MON) and Euro Super Premium (98 RON; 88 MON) as niche products. Sales of Euro Regular are mostly limited to Germany and Austria, whilst those of Euro Super Premium are more widely spread across the EU. This can rightly be considered to be a single market.
EU fuel quality is based on Directive 98/70/EC 1) and its subsequent updates. The latest of these (2009/30/EC 2)) came into force in late June 2010 and Member States have until 5 Dec 2010 to transcribe it into national law. As part of this revision, the oxygen limit was increased to 3.7% and with it the maximum limit for all oxygenates. For ethers this means a rise in the permitted level from 15% to 22% in volume. However, the major innovation was the introduction of a requirement to reduce the life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions of the fuels by 6% by 2020 through the use of biofuels or improved operational efficiency. A further 4% of savings was also encouraged by a combination of the use of electric vehicles, carbon capture and storage, and emissions trading.
The EU began to focus on renewable energy in transport fuels in 2003 when the Biofuels directive (2003/30/EC 3)) was adopted. This initial attempt to foster the development of biofuels was justified by three objectives; reduction in CO2 emissions, improved security of supply and support for the rural economy. This has been recently strengthened and refined both by the aforementioned Fuel Quality directive (2009/30/EC 2)), and the directive on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources (2009/28/EC 4)). Here the emphasis is to address the climate change challenge by imposing minimum levels of renewable fuels in transport, and specifically biofuels. The “renewables” directive also sets minimum standards for the CO2 reductions of individual biofuels; the so-called “sustainability criteria”.
The two new European directives have also recognised the ability of ethers to deliver emission savings by setting default values of CO2 reduction “equal to that of the ethanol production pathway used“. The European Fuel Oxygenates Association (EFOA) is pleased with this recognition, but believes that it underestimates the benefits of bio-ethers. The directives have created a surge in the use of bio-ethanol in EU gasoline. In 2008 some 29 million hectoliters 5) were used a significant proportion of which was in the form of bio-ethers.
Keywords
biobased ethanol 20%, gasoline 80% Gasohol E20 fuel; biobased bioETBE 20%, gasoline 80% bioether fuel; gasoline engine mechanical efficiency; gasoline engine exhaust emission
Hrčak ID:
72486
URI
Publication date:
3.10.2011.
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