In March 2021, a demo plant went into operation at the GFC, which is the first in Europe to be able to produce OME continuously and realise the innovative "OME Technologies Process" on a pilot plant scale. OME (oxymethylene ether) is an alternative to fossil diesel fuel based on sustainable raw materials. A demonstration plant was set up at the Straubing campus to produce components for the non-toxic OME. Prof Burger and his team have been researching the conversion of synthetic fuels (so-called "SynFuels") such as OME for the transport sector for some time.
The construction of the plant is part of the "Sustainable Mobility through Synthetic Fuels" (NAMOSYN) project launched by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research in 2019, which involves 39 industrial and research partners with a volume of around 20 million euros. NAMOSYN aims to develop synthetic, sustainably produced and usable fuels for diesel and petrol engines. The CO2 emitted when driving is first extracted from other sources. In this way, significantly fewer greenhouse gases are released overall.
OME is considered a special fuel. It differs in its chemical structure from conventional petroleum-based fuels due to its integrated oxygen. As a result, OME burns practically soot-free and is therefore extremely low in pollutants. OME is also biodegradable and can be produced from any carbon source.
These include biogenic raw materials and CO2, which is isolated from industrial plants to reduce emissions. OME is a group of substances - roughly comparable to the components of crude oil - of which only a certain proportion is suitable for fuel applications.
The new demonstration plant at the TUM Campus Straubing produces precisely this component. It consists of three parts: a reactor for OME synthesis, a distillation module around ten metres high that separates and purifies OME, and a membrane unit from project partner DBI Gas- und Umwelttechnik GmbH to remove water. Water is the only by-product of the process.
