sunliquid 20: 20% ethanol blends show octane boost, emissions reductions in Mercedes-Benz test
In Germany, Clariant, Mercedes-Benz and Haltermann Carless found that “sunliquid 20 exhibited very good combustion properties with a high degree of efficiency and identical consumption compared to today’s standard E10 fuel,” according to the consortium. Due to the slightly lower energy density of E20 compared to E10, slightly higher fuel consumption was expected under the same operating conditions. The tests performed under laboratory conditions demonstrated variability in the consumption analysis in which additional consumption between 0 and 3 percent was observed.
The 20 percent cellulosic ethanol by volume has another decisive advantage. In addition to the higher CO2 savings and reduced emissions, it gives the fuel a significantly higher octane number (RON) of over 100. With a widespread introduction of E20, engines could be adapted in the future so that the quality advantage of the fuel could be used to improve engine efficiency and thus further reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.
In addition to the proven performance, an improvement in particle count emissions by around 50 percent was measured for sunliquid 20 versus the EU reference fuel Euro 5. The tests have confirmed the positive properties of the sunliquid 20 fuel.
The cellulosic ethanol portion comes from Clariant’s sunliquid precommercial plant in Straubing, where approximately 4,500 tons of agricultural residues such as cereal straw or corn stover are converted into cellulosic ethanol each year. At the Haltermann Carless production site in Hamburg, the bioethanol is mixed with selected components to form the innovative fuel whose specifications represent the potential for the quality of E20 fuel in Europe.
Category: Fuels
