Long-term economic, social, and environmental impacts

The development of the new methods, technology and knowledge will have impact on climate and environmental protection. This is desired as the EU is aiming for a 40% cut in greenhouse gas emissions compared to 1990 levels. The indicative target for an improvement in energy efficiency at EU level is at least 27% (compared to projections), to be reviewed by 2020 (with an EU level of 30% in mind).

The project’s impact is related to the sustainable development goals 7, 9, 11, 12 and 13 of the UN: Affordable and clean energy; Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, Sustainable Cities and Communities, Responsible Consumption and Production, Climate action, etc.

Within 5-10 years the introduction of new broad range liquid fuels will enter the market aimed at the land and sea transport sector. It is anticipated that these will be in the form of methanol, ethanol, biodiesel, diesel made from plastic, ammonia or other energy carrying liquids that can be used in combustion engines. These new liquid fuels will come from multiple sources and origin of feedstock which affect the impurities in the fuel. Accurate real time methods for identification of impurities on an industrial scale will be needed. This project is a step towards this.

Energy storage technologies are essential when the production of CO₂ neutral energy from e.g. wind power increases. Electro fuels also known as Power-to-Liquid have a potential to replace fossil fuels in the future. Introducing new types of fuels for existing technology (e.g. cars, ships, aviation) will require traceable measurement and documentation of the impurities in the fuel, not only after, but also during their production.

The outcome of the project will support the transition to clean CO₂ neutral energy and the independence from fossil fuels.