For the first time, the Freiberg petrol synthesis plant at the Institute of Energy Process Engineering and Chemical Engineering (IEC) has produced renewable petrol. 23,000 litres of almost climate-neutral petrol were produced. The green fuel is based on e-methanol, which was produced in Kassø, Denmark. The collaboration with the international partner is a decisive step that TUBAF and its industrial partner, CAC ENGINEERING GmbH, have taken in the direction of an industrial plant for e-fuels. With this development step, the team can both operate the production plant more process-efficiently and reliably demonstrate that up to 90 per cent CO2 savings compared to fossil petrol are possible with the help of a carbon cycle.
"The first use of e-methanol in our large-scale pilot plant is a pioneering milestone in the preparation of a first industrial plant. We have thus succeeded in technologically demonstrating the entire process chain from biogenic CO2 and green hydrogen to high-performance synthetic petrol. In addition to the 90 per cent CO2 savings compared to conventional fuel, the increased productivity of our plant thanks to the new Danish e-methanol should also be emphasised," says Martin Gräbner, Professor of Energy Process Engineering at TU Bergakademie Freiberg and responsible for the operation of the plant.
At the beginning of 2026, the IEC team and industrial partner CAC Engineering visited the production facility in Kassø, Denmark. The plant is the world's first large-scale plant for the production of e-methanol, the raw material for e-fuels. A further test campaign with e-methanol is to follow in the second quarter of 2026, which will then provide the project partners with even larger quantities of petrol for fuel tests and extensive vehicle tests.
