California Project to Test Renewable Dimethyl Ether as Transportation Fuel

by Betsy Lillian (NGT News) Oberon Fuels, a California-based producer of dimethyl ether (DME), has been awarded a $2.88 million grant from the California Energy Commission (CEC) for a multi-phase project to produce renewable DME as a low-carbon transportation fuel in the U.S.

According to the company, the project unlocks the near- and medium-term decarbonization benefits of rDME. Oberon will upgrade its existing Southern California DME pilot facility to demonstration scale and facilitate the first production of rDME in the U.S.

In addition to scaling up the DME plant and testing new feedstocks, the project will also test modified diesel trucks fueled by rDME in the Imperial Valley and other Southern California locations. Oberon will work with commercial partners to assess the technical feasibility and economics of converting renewable methanol, a byproduct of the pulping process, into rDME and developing associated rDME fueling infrastructure.

According to Oberon, the project is a key building block to the statewide production of rDME from California’s methane. Beyond this project, the technology enhancements will be leveraged into Oberon’s first commercial-scale facility converting dairy biogas to rDME. Oberon will then replicate its initial commercial production facility for statewide rollout of rDME production facilities. These commercial plants will convert in-state methane emissions from dairy manure, food waste and agricultural waste to rDME.

Further, although most of the focus on DME has been on its application as a diesel fuel replacement, it can also serve as a blending agent with propane to reduce carbon intensity when DME is made from renewable feedstocks. With a 20% blend of dairy manure-based rDME, propane’s carbon intensity value can be reduced from 82 to 10, the company estimates.

In addition, because rDME is an efficient hydrogen carrier, rDME can be transported to a hydrogen fueling station and then converted to renewable hydrogen. READ MORE

Excerpt from NGT News: The California Energy Commission (CEC) has awarded more than $6 million through its Clean Transportation Program, also known as the Alternative and Renewable Fuel and Vehicle Technology Program.

“The energy commission is investing in projects that will help clean the air and give families access to clean transportation,” says Patty Monahan, CEC commissioner. “Finding ways to share electric vehicles and reduce harmful diesel pollution will help Californians breathe easier while they travel to work and school.”

At the same CEC meeting, Oberon Fuels was also awarded a $2.88 million grant for a multi-phase project to produce renewable dimethyl ether as a low-carbon transportation fuel. READ MORE