Renovare Fuels is a company that is currently working on the design and manufacture of a sustainable liquid fuel, created through the conversion of biogas. This fuel has the potential to become a viable replacement for both diesel and Jet A1, without the requirement for engine modifications. With biogas fuels offering a sustainable solution, this mix could reduce the carbon footprint of the transport and aviation industries in the short to medium term.
Matthew Stone, Renovare Fuels Limited’s Chairman, is one of the most active clean technology investors in the industry, working with an investor network which includes major corporations, institutional investors, family offices, high profile private investors, and sovereign wealth funds.
In 2018, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in the UK introduced new regulations relating to the RHI. More information about the RHI (the Renewable Heat Incentive) can be found in the PDF attachment to this post.
Sustainability
The innovative technology designed and patented by Renovare Fuels uses advanced process engineering to synergise two transformative catalyst technologies, allowing for the production of middle distillate fuel at a lower cost and with greater efficiency than any other technology that currently exists.
The process uses natural biogas, which is a waste product that can come from anaerobic digesters, landfill and sewage treatment facilities. Many conventional biofuels cause issues relating to land use change, causing environmental damage or competing with feedstock food supply chains.
Renovare Fuels’ technology uses waste material to derive the primary source of energy for making biofuel, in full compliance with the sustainability criteria of the Renewable Energy Directive of the EU. More details about the Renewable Energy Directive can be seen in the embedded short video.
Tests show that a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of 96.8% can be achieved by using fuel created by Renovare Fuels, when compared to the use of traditional fossil fuel derived analogues.
Recycling Wate Heat Streams
Renovare Fuels’ technology has been developed by a team of world-leading chemical engineers in conjunction with the US Department of Energy and NASA, using University of South Florida facilities. A joint investment of more than US$10 million over eight years has been committed to the project.
The same chemical engineers who developed the technology now comprise the Renovare Fuels technical team, overseeing the technology as it enters the marketing stage. Through the recycling of waste heat streams, Renovare Fuels has been able to deliver a surplus of energy that can be sold back to the electrical grid after powering all auxiliary electrical equipment.
The highly efficient technology has the capacity to recycle both heatflows and mass, reducing operating costs by balancing endothermic and exothermic reactions. The technology also produces its own supply of water so there is no requirement for a water utility connection.
Applications
Large amounts of biogas can be gathered from landfill sites as waste product and converted into usable biofuel with Renovare Fuels’ technology. This fuel can then be sold for profit and the operating costs of the landfill site reduced in the long term. Fuel derived from anaerobic digesters can power farm vehicles and the waste haulage fleet on-site, before the excess is sold on to local fuel depots. Wastewater treatment facilities deal with huge volumes of wastewater every day – the organic material contained within can be decomposed to produce usable biogas.
Some statistics for renewable energy use in the UK in 2019 can be found in the infographic attachment.