What's all this about?

Joule, a US company with operations in the Netherlands, has come up with an ethanol fuel that could save both the environment and money.

How?

Joule can create liquid fuels from recycled carbon dioxide (CO₂) and has announced successful results from third-party testing of its ethanol fuel, setting the stage to obtain certification for commercial use as a drop-in blend for petrol. It has satisfied strict regulations in both the US and Germany for the use of ethanol in petrol in independent testing.

What do the companies say about this?

Audi AG's Reiner Mangold, Head of Sustainable Product Development, said: "Audi and Joule share a commitment to making carbon-neutral mobility a reality. The successful testing of ethanol produced from CO₂ is another encouraging indication of this technology's progress. We are proud to work with Joule to ultimately sustain global transportation without emitting more CO₂ than is consumed."

And what about Joule?

Serge Tchuruk, President and CEO of Joule, added: "We are pleased to achieve another critical step towards our planned near-term delivery of fuel-grade ethanol from recycled CO₂. Using waste CO₂ as a feedstock, our technology has the two-fold advantage of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and producing cost-competitive, drop-in fuels. This means we have a unique opportunity to offer a solution to CO₂ emitters and to fuel users, directly supporting a low-carbon economy."

Is this just good news for petrolheads?

No, as Audi and Joule are also working on a hydrocarbon product that can meet regulations in diesel blends of up to 50 per cent too.

Matt Robinson - 11 May 2015