OME synthetic fuel passes biodiesel test drives

In Germany, automotive manufacturing company, Continental, successfully tested its new synthetic fuel called oxymethylene ether in test vehicles. The tests confirmed that current diesel engines had no issues with a 15% blend of the OME synthetic fuel. On the environmental side, there is also good news since the 15% blend reduces carbon dioxide emissions by about eight grams per kilometer compared to standard diesel. Even better, it works fine with current diesel fuel that has an added 7% of biofuel. OME won’t be on the market quite yet, however, as they are still working on the manufacturing technology for the synthetic fuel.

Rolf Brück, head of the Catalytic Converters product line in the Fuel & Exhaust Management business unit of Continental’s Powertrain division told Foundry Planet, “In order to use higher concentrations of OME in diesel, we need to consider the entire reaction pathway. With its end-to-end expertise from injection molding to exhaust-gas aftertreatment including SCR, Continental is optimally positioned for this.”