Research report "reFuels - Rethinking fuels"
The research report “reFuels – Rethinking Fuels” provides a comprehensive analysis of the ecological impact of synthetic fuels (eFuels) compared to conventional fossil fuels.
Conducted by the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in collaboration with leading partners from industry and science, the study sheds light on the potential and challenges of eFuels as a building block of sustainable mobility.
CO2 emissions from eFuels and fossil fuels
The research report is based on a life cycle assessment (LCA), which evaluates the environmental impact along the entire life cycle of fuels.
It therefore goes beyond the mere production and use of fuels.
Instead, all upstream and downstream processes are taken into account with regard to greenhouse gas emissions – such as production, transportation and installation.
the production, transportation and installation of renewable energy plants, the maintenance, construction and operation of direct air capture (DAC) plants and synthesis plants, the energy required for carbon capture and eFuel synthesis, the transportation and distribution of eFuels and supply chain emissions.
Despite this very comprehensive and detailed consideration of various process steps, the research report can demonstrate a massive reduction in new CO2 emissions through the use ofeFuels.
Source: Figure 6, page 16 Life cycle assessment of fuel use in passenger cars from the reFuels research report, 2021 on the greenhouse gas potential in tons of CO2 equivalent of eFuels from various energy sources
CO2 emissions from the use of eFuels: The combustion of eFuels releases the CO2 that was previously extracted from the atmosphere or from industrial waste gases during their production.
This means that eFuels do not cause any additional new CO2 emissions during use as long as they are produced using renewable energies.
In contrast, fossil fuels, when burned, lead to the release of CO2 that has been bound in crude oil for millions of years, resulting in 100% new CO2 emissions.
Influence of the electricity mix on the CO2 balance: The CO2 emissions from the production of eFuels depend heavily on the electricity mix used.
The current electricity mix in Germany consists of around 40-50% renewable energies, while the rest comes from fossil fuels and nuclear energy.
If the current German electricity mix is used for the production of eFuels, this is not expedient.
For a positive effect in terms of reducing CO2 emissions, production from renewable energies is necessary.
Potential for CO2 reduction: The research report shows that eFuels offer considerable potential for reducing new CO2 emissions, especially if they are produced with an electricity mix that consists entirely of renewable energy sources.
Under these conditions, eFuels could make a significant contribution to the transport transition.
Specifically, the analysis shows that eFuels, which are produced using renewable energy such as offshore wind power, can massively reduce greenhouse gas emissions caused by their use.
Over a mileage of 300,000 km, the use of eFuels enables savings of up to 32.3 tons of CO₂ equivalent compared to fossil diesel.
These results prove that eFuels can lead to significant reductions in new CO2 emissions even when viewed from a holistic life cycle perspective and can therefore make an important contribution to climate protection.
Further ecological advantages:
In addition to the carbon footprint, the production of eFuels offers additional ecological advantages.
Due to the synthetic production process, eFuels could contain fewer impurities such as sulphur, which would lead to cleaner combustion and less air pollution.
This could not only reduce environmental pollution, but also have a positive impact on human health.
Source: reFuels research report “reFuels – Rethinking fuels”
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