On the heels of dimethyl ether testing by the Volvo Group and Ford Europe, recent news that Chemrec AB will build a BioDME plant in Sweden is bringing up interest in DME as a diesel fuel alternative.


DME or dimethyl ether, made from a variety of renewable materials and fossil fuels, burns soot-free, produces almost no greenhouse gases upon combustion and is very energy efficient. With a high cetane number (the measure of combustion of diesel fuel under compression) and with no particle formation during combustion, DME provides a very cost effective way to meet stringent exhaust emission targets.

Chemrec's BioDME is produced through the Chemrec black liquor gasification technology, which uses residual forestry biomass as its feedstock, thus no foodstocks or farmable acreage is used. BioDME offers about 95 percent reduction of carbon dioxide emissions compared to conventional diesel fuel, and it can be produced with very high conversion efficiency at relatively moderate capital cost.

Chemrec expects to start producing BioDME and methanol at the plant in 2010.

"America has been slower than Europe and Asia to catch on to DME as a motor fuel, as DME technology research and development in those areas are mostly government funded, but it is the belief of DME supporters in the U.S. -- from government energy researchers, academics and industry -- that DME and in particular BioDME has an important role to play in America's security and energy sustainability," said Richard LeBlanc, Chemrec CEO.

According to Jim McCandless, CEO of Alternative Fuel Technologies, which designs and manufactures common rail and injection systems designed for DME delivery in diesel engines, DME has unique advantages for truck lines, bus fleets, materials handling equipment and other vehicles that refuel at central refueling depots.

"DME is a liquefied gas, like propane, that becomes liquid under low pressure of 60 psi," he said. "It is an ideal diesel fuel because it has very high oxygen content, 35 percent by weight, and no carbon-carbon bonds. What that means is that it cannot produce soot particulates or black smoke. This permits the use of very high EGR or exhaust gas recirculation rates to lower NOx emissions without having to use exotic and expensive after-treatment devices like particulate traps and SCR catalysts that require the injection of urea to lower NOx."

"Another positive factor is the fuel injection pressures can be much lower than are currently needed by diesel engines," he added.

Volvo conducted a study on various biofuels from a range of feedstocks, and found that the production of DME from harvest forestry woody biomass using the black liquor gasification process yields the highest miles per acre per year than biofuels produced by most other processes.

The Chemrec BioDME plant will demonstrate the use of this fuel in heavy vehicles in commercial service.

More info: www.chemrec.se