Quadrise PLC (AIM:QED) has unveiled the latest results from its bioMSAR fuel testing that reveal new pathways towards sustainable marine and industrial fuels.
Ultimately, the idea is to create products that are not just lower in cost, but more efficient, safer, simple to use, and, crucially, generate the fewest harmful emissions.
Conducted by Aquafuel Research using a 40kW Cummins diesel engine, the update delivered some notable advancements on the company's early work. Specifically, blends of bioMSAR containing Crude Sugar Oil (CSO), developed by a company called Vertoro, achieved over 30% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions, factoring in a 7% increase in engine efficiency.
These blends also showed significant reductions in nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide emissions compared to standard diesel.
Further, new bioMSAR formulations incorporating biofuels with waste-based methyl esters revealed a potential path to bioMSAR Zero. These blends reduced CO2 emissions by over 45%, increased engine efficiency by up to 7%, and lowered NOx and CO emissions significantly.
In collaboration with Vertoro, Quadrise has been working to develop cost-effective supplements or alternatives to glycerine in bioMSAR fuel.
Tests with up to 40% of Vertoro's CSO in bioMSAR showed up to 25% reductions in CO2 emissions before considering engine efficiency, with additional improvements leading to total reductions of over 30%.
The CSO bioMSAR also reduced NOx by around 30% and CO emissions by over 50%, with negligible visible smoke.
Plans for further testing include evaluating a 40% CSO bioMSAR and glycerine-based bioMSAR on a larger Wartsila engine, alongside testing CSO levels above 40% at the Quadrise research facility and Aquafuel.
Quadrise's collaboration extends to BTG (LSE:BTG) Bioliquids on pyrolysis sugars from biomass and other partners for commercial-scale C5/C6 sugars. This effort aims at large-scale adoption in marine and industrial applications by utilizing water-soluble biomass sugars in oil-in-water emulsion fuels.
Additionally, the company's first-time testing of bioMSAR blends with B30, a 30% methyl ester marine biofuel, marks a new potential route to bioMSAR Zero.
These blends, compared to diesel, showed up to 40% well-to-wake CO2 reductions and improved diesel engine efficiency by 3-7%. NOx emissions were reduced by 43%-59%, and CO emissions by 58-76%.
Quadrise's ongoing efforts aim to further reduce the fossil fuel content in their emulsion blends and demonstrate a commercial bioMSAR Zero product well ahead of the 2030 target. The success of these tests marks a crucial step towards sustainable fuel solutions in the marine and industrial sectors.