Today (11 September 2026) Saxony’s Minister-President Michael Kretschmer visited the TU Bergakademie Freiberg to learn about the progress of the BMV-funded DeCarTrans collaborative project at a large-scale pilot plant for the production of a synthetic fuel with virtually no CO2 emissions. A total of 300,000 litres of renewable petrol has so far been made available to the project partners for testing. The project partners have thus already achieved their objective – to demonstrate the long-term operational viability of this petrol synthesis technology.
By producing a fuel that meets the relevant specifications over a planned period from 2023 to 2027, the project aims to demonstrate that carbon cycle management can achieve CO2 savings of up to 90 per cent. The collaborative project ‘Demonstrating a Circular Carbon Economy in Transport along the Value Chain’ – DeCarTrans for short – is funded by the Federal Ministry of Transport (BMV).
Collaboration with industry in Saxony
The sub-project at TU Bergakademie Freiberg, which has received funding of 12.78 million euros, is being carried out in close collaboration with the technology provider CAC ENGINEERING. As part of the collaborative research project, the aim is to demonstrate the long-term operational viability of the technology for producing synthetic petrol (also known as e-fuel or ‘green petrol’). In the recently completed seventh DeCarTrans test campaign, the 300,000th litre of renewable petrol was produced. CAC ENGINEERING is already planning to implement the technology in a large-scale industrial plant. According to Managing Partner Jörg Engelmann, progress has so far been hampered by the lack of political decisions to provide investment certainty.
Operating production on a continuous basis
By the end of 2027, a total of 380,000 litres of petrol are to be produced as part of the DeCarTrans project; the project partners will use this for fuel analysis and extensive vehicle testing. Since the project began in January 2023, the petrol has initially been produced from biomethanol, a by-product of the paper industry. Since November 2025, e-methanol (produced from CO2 and electrolytic hydrogen, which was produced using solar and wind power) has been in use.
Minister-President Michael Kretschmer highlighted the significance of the plant in Freiberg, Saxony: “300,000 litres of synthetic fuel from Freiberg represent a major success and an important milestone on the path from research project to industrial application. This clearly demonstrates how an open approach to technology works in practice. If we want to combine climate protection, affordable mobility and a strong industrial sector, we need alternative solutions such as e-fuels alongside electric mobility. The fact that such a future-oriented technology is being developed here in Freiberg and tested under real-world conditions once again demonstrates Saxony’s strength as a centre for research and industry.”
Prof. Martin Gräbner, who is responsible for operating the large-scale plant, admits. “The fact that we have managed to reach the 300,000-litre mark despite the current challenging conditions for climate-neutral fuels is testament to the excellent collaboration between the project partners and the commitment of the on-site staff. They have kept the plant in good working order through timely refurbishment and maintenance work and ensured its smooth operation.” He adds: “With this volume, TUBAF is currently at the forefront of all synthetic petrol projects in Europe.”
The large-scale pilot plant for synthetic petrol was built in 2009 by CAC ENGINEERING at the TU Bergakademie Freiberg as the first and largest of its kind in Germany. The DeCarTrans collaborative project, which is now underway, has made it possible, on the one hand, to demonstrate the long-term operational viability of the petrol synthesis technology and, on the other hand, to provide sufficient quantities of fuel for demonstration purposes. The aim is also to demonstrate that synthetic fuels can make a significant contribution to achieving climate targets.
About the DeCarTrans research project
The funded partners in the project ‘Demonstrating a Circular Carbon Economy in Transport Along the Value Chain’ (DeCarTrans) include, alongside TU Bergakademie Freiberg and CAC ENGINEERING GmbH, FEV Europe GmbH, Lother GmbH, Coryton Advanced Fuels Deutschland GmbH and Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH. Further companies from the automotive and petroleum sectors are supporting the project as associated partners.
The DeCarTrans project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Transport with a total of 14.93 million euros as part of the ‘Renewable Fuels’ overarching strategy. The funding scheme for the development of renewable fuels is coordinated by NOW GmbH and implemented by the project management organisations VDI/VDE Innovation + Technik GmbH and the Fachagentur Nachwachsende Rohstoffe e. V.
Putting knowledge into practice whilst still at university
Students at the TU Bergakademie Freiberg benefit from up-to-date, practice-oriented research: in degree programmes such as Process Engineering and Chemical Engineering (Diploma) or Engineering (Bachelor’s), they learn, for example, how to produce sustainable fuel from agricultural residues. They can put their knowledge into practice at the university’s unique demonstration facilities. This makes graduates highly sought-after experts in cost-effective and climate-neutral conversion technologies. Many go on to work in industry, applying their knowledge at companies such as CAC ENGINEERING to drive forward the technologies of the future.
Background on e-fuels
e-fuels are liquid motor fuels or combustibles produced synthetically using renewable electricity, which can be used to power cars (1.2 billion worldwide), lorries, aeroplanes, ships or heating systems – anything with an internal combustion engine – in a climate-friendly manner. When used in their pure form, e-Fuels can reduce CO2 emissions by up to 90 per cent compared with fossil fuels. Furthermore, e-fuels can be made available nationwide via the existing network of filling stations and are suitable for storage and transport.
A further advantage of methanol-based e-fuel processes is that the methanol can be produced at sites where renewable electricity – as an essential ‘raw material’ – is abundant and therefore inexpensive. This ensures that renewable energy can be imported into Germany and Europe in large quantities to meet energy demand sustainably in the long term.
The drop-in-compatible synthetic petrol produced from e-methanol in the DeCarTrans project meets the requirements of the DIN EN 228 standard as an E10 blend, is registered under REACH and can directly replace conventional fossil fuel or be blended with it – without the need for any technical modifications to the vehicle. Production costs of less than 1 euro per litre could already be achieved today in an industrial plant.
About CAC
Reliable, experienced and people-focused, CAC is a leading international plant engineering company specialising in process and process engineering. Across its business divisions – chlor-alkali electrolysis, sustainable Power-to-X solutions, hydrocarbon technologies and the chemical industry – CAC offers the full range of services expected of an engineering and plant construction company. CAC has been developing synthetic fuels since 2008 and has built Europe’s largest demonstration plant for the production of synthetic petrol in Freiberg.
With around 400 employees, 270 of whom are based at the company’s headquarters in Chemnitz, CAC has built over 500 industrial plants worldwide in more than 55 years.
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