Just weeks after producing its first batch of synthetic diesel fuel made from carbon dioxide and water, Audi has laid claim to another synthetic, clean-burning and petroleum-free fuel called “e-benzin.” The fuel was created by Audi’s project partner Global Bioenergies, in France.
In late 2014, Global Bioenergies started up the fermentation unit for a pilot program to produce gaseous isobutane from renewable biomass sugars such as corn-derived glucose. Gaseous isobutane can be refined into a variety of plastics, fuels and other applications.
Some of it was then sent to Germany to be converted into isooctane fuel, creating a pure, 100 octane gasoline.
“To me this is a historic moment,” says Global Bioenergies CEO Marc Delcourt. “It is the first time that we have produced real gasoline from plants.”
Audi and Global Bioenergies hope to tweak the production process in the future so that biomass is no longer required and e-benzin can be created using only water, hydrogen, carbon dioxide and sunlight.
Click here for source (Gizmag)
Photo: Audi
