KEROSyN100 - taking to the skies with green fuel
Project initiative ENTREE100 with new research for the production of power-based, green kerosene.
HEIDE. Under the direction of the University of Bremen, Raffinerie Heide has just commenced work on the KEROSyN100 research project together with five partners from industry and science. The aim of the project is to develop and produce environmentally friendly, synthetic kerosene. This is also known as power-based fuel and can be used in the aviation industry, for example. If the project succeeds in identifying possibilities for the production of aviation fuels made from hydrogen generated from green wind energy, this would be a promising option for increased climate protection in aviation. The three-year joint project has received funding of €4.2 million from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy.
Like the QUARREE100 research project launched at the end of 2017, which develops a renewable energy supply for the ‘Rüsdorfer Kamp’ district of Heide, KEROSyN100 is also part of the ENTREE100 technological project initiative from the Region Heide development agency. The agency based in Heide supports the project as an associate partner and, among other things, ensures further networking with regional research institutions such as the West Coast University of Applied Sciences as well as other partners from industry, research and public administration.
Managing Director Dirk Burmeister: ‘The storage and utilisation of surplus regional wind energy by converting it into ‘green’ hydrogen and the integration of different sectors of the energy economy are common factors of QUARREE100 and KEROSyN100.’ Burmeister sees hydrogen in particular as a great opportunity to establish new value chains on the windy west coast of Schleswig-Holstein, create new jobs and develop the entire region.
A key task of Raffinerie Heide in relation to KEROSyN100 will be to clarify the technological and economic conditions under which a synthetic fuel production plant can be integrated into the refinery. As the aim here is to use wind energy, Raffinerie Heide offers a locational advantage with its numerous wind power stations in the immediate vicinity. With an installed capacity of around 1.5 gigawatts and the energy production on the west coast as a whole, Region Heide is one of Europe’s leading producers of renewable energy.
The project is also very important due to the development of an innovative synthesis process based on methanol for the first time. All partners are hoping that this will lead to significantly improved efficiency in the future production of kerosene, based on wind energy and CO2, which can then be recirculated in a climate-friendly manner.
‘Our location is perfect for converting electricity into renewable fuels. There is a substation for the west coast line on our doorstep – figuratively speaking, a giant ‘green socket’ that can supply us with renewable energy. Thanks to our well-trained staff, we also have a great deal of experience in technical and chemical issues, which now need to be researched and implemented in a new context,’ explains Jürgen Wollschläger, managing director of Raffinerie Heide GmbH.
Raffinerie Heide has an annual processing capacity of 4.5 million tonnes of crude oil, equal to the oil demands of the entire state of Schleswig-Holstein. The company produces traditional petroleum products such as petrol, diesel and even aviation fuel. With around 530 employees and 30 trainees, Raffinerie Heide is one of the largest employers in Dithmarschen, Schleswig-Holstein.
KEROSyN100 represents a new important building block in the collaboration between the refinery and the Region Heide development agency founded in 2013. As an institution under public law, the agency is financed in equal parts by the city of Heide in the district of Dithmarschen and the eleven municipalities in the Heide region. Its goal is to develop and coordinate joint future projects in the region which has a population of over 37,000 people. The advanced cooperation in the region serves as a model throughout Germany.
You can find more information about the ‘KEROSyN100’ research project in the press release by the University of Bremen: