The TU Bergakademie Freiberg and the company CAC Engineering have processed industrially produced e-methanol from Denmark into synthetic gasoline for the first time as part of the DeCarTrans project funded by the Federal Ministry of Transport. The e-methanol comes from the large-scale plant in Kassø, Denmark, a joint venture of European Energy and Mitsui.
In the sixth test campaign from November to December 2025, around 23,000 litres of nearly climate-neutral gasoline were produced in the Freiberg large-scale test facility. The e-methanol used is based on biogenic CO2 and green hydrogen, which was generated with renewable electricity.
“The first use of e-methanol in our large-scale test facility is a pioneering milestone in preparation for a first industrial plant,” says Martin Gräbner, Professor of Process Energy Engineering at TU Freiberg. “We succeeded in demonstrating the entire process chain from biogenic CO2 and green hydrogen to high-performance synthetic gasoline.”
According to Gräbner, the new input product enables more efficient process management. The CO2 savings compared to fossil gasoline can be up to 90 percent.
CAC Engineering also sees this step as an important foundation for the planned industrial plant "German eFuel One" in Lower Saxony. “Our cooperation with Kassø shows that our process engineering Methafuel process is now fully based on an industrially available, electricity-based carbon carrier,” says Mario Kuschel, Head of Research and Development at CAC Engineering.
Freiberg demonstration plant is the first and largest of its kind in Europe
The demonstration plant in Freiberg was established in 2009 and is the largest of its kind in Europe. Since the start of the project, 253,700 litres of regenerative fuel have already been produced there. The e-fuels produced are used, among other things, for engine and vehicle tests as well as in motorsport.
Another test campaign with e-methanol is planned for the second quarter of 2026. The aim of the project is to demonstrate the continuous operational capability of the technology under real conditions by the end of 2026.
The DeCarTrans project is funded with a total of 14.93 million euros by the Federal Ministry of Transport. In addition to TU Freiberg and CAC Engineering, project partners include FEV Europe, Coryton Advanced Fuels Deutschland, and the Forschungszentrum Jülich.
The synthetic gasoline meets the requirements of the DIN EN 228 standard, is drop-in capable as an E10 blend, and is registered under REACH. According to project information, production costs of about one euro per litre could be achieved in industrial plants.
