Ethanol to Gasoline: Gasoline Made from Renewable Ethanol

This project focuses on the catalytic conversion of bioethanol to gasoline (ethanol-to-gasoline, EtG). The EtG process represents a promising route for producing renewable gasoline from biogenic feedstocks. Sustainable (bio)ethanol is available on an industrial scale and is already used as a fuel additive (E10). However, direct blending with gasoline is limited by ethanol’s lower energy density and oxygen content. Complete catalytic conversion to hydrocarbon-based fuel components enables the production of a drop-in gasoline.
The project aims to systematically develop suitable catalysts and operating conditions for the EtG process with the goal of producing a crude gasoline containing iso-paraffins that are as branched as possible and a limited proportion of C7 and C8 aromatics. In particular, research into catalysts with different pore architectures and acid strengths is intended to suppress the formation of multi-alkylated aromatics. These are considered soot precursors during engine combustion and are therefore undesirable in the product range. Catalyst and process development proceeds in stages, starting with the powdered catalyst in a microreactor, through shaping and extrusion to technically usable extrudates, and finally to the operation of a mini-plant, where EtG gasoline is produced on a liter scale and subjected to detailed fuel analysis, including octane number determination. In addition, mixtures of ethanol and methanol are being investigated to ensure broad feedstock compatibility for resilient plant operation in the face of fluctuating raw material availability. Furthermore, the project focuses on concepts for fuel processing as well as strategies for catalyst regeneration.

IGF application in preparation