Audi has teamed up with U.S. start-up working to develop a third generation biofuel. The first tests with the new fuel are showing performance superior to those a fossil fuel.
In 2011, Audi was associated with Joule Unlimited, an American company developing a method of producing biofuel third generation. Unlike biofuels first and second generation, production does not pass the transformation of terrestrial plants, it uses micro-algae.
Grown in basins, these plants feed on a substrate rich in CO2. And in the case of algae developed by Joule through genetic modification, it naturally rejects ethanol, without prior extraction.
A fuel without additive
Unlike fossil fuels, the latter is pure. It contains no olefins or aromatic compounds and cetane number is high, which improves the yield. Audi was tested in an engine designed to observe the combustion in the cylinders. With a small glass window on their wall it allows you to monitor the dynamics of mixing and explosion, with a high resolution camera.
Conclusion of observations, performance is actually more interesting and pollutant emissions are lower. Brand test different mixtures with fossil fuels and even considering a gross use. Audi recalls however that this partnership with Joule is still in a phase of development and large-scale production remains fairly remote.
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