Wine waste can now be used to create race car fuel
It’s no secret that I love my car - a Mustang GT 5.0 Fastback. It’s not great on fuel consumption for short trips around the suburbs, but fantastic on the open road. Now that I know its within the realms of possibility that I might one day buy fuel from wine waste to keep my precious on the road for longer, count me in!
The article below (after the video) helps us get just one step closer to that reality - written by Eloise Feilden and published recently in Drinks Biz.
Wine waste can now be used to create race car fuel
French oil brand TotalEnergies has introduced a 100% renewable motor car fuel made from wine residues from the French agricultural industry, reducing CO2 emissions by at least 65%. TotalEnergies, based in France, is a broad energy company active in more than 130 countries around the world. Producing and marketing fuels on a global scale, the company is responsible for creating oil and biofuels, natural gas and green gases, renewables and electricity.
The latest addition to TotalEnergies’ roster of fuels is 100% renewable, made from residues from the wine industry, such as wine lees and grape pomace.
According to the company, the energy and environmental crisis is in need of addressing when considering the development of new high-performance fuels, and their latest development does just this. Named Excellium Racing 100, the fuel immediately reduces a car’s CO2 emissions by a minimum of 65%. “Our ambition is to be a major player in the energy transition and to get to net zero carbon emissions by 2050, together with society,” said Patrick Pouyanné, Chairman and CEO of TotalEnergies. “TotalEnergies is supporting its customers and partners in their evolutions, by thus applying its strategy to motorsport: sustainable liquid fuels, electricity, batteries, hybridization, hydrogen… Advanced biofuels have an undeniable part to play in helping the transport sector to reduce its CO2 emissions immediately. This 100% renewable fuel, that will be made available in motor racing as soon as 2022, is a perfect illustration. As we are becoming a broad energy company, the racing track is more than ever an open-air laboratory for TotalEnergies.”
The fuel will be introduced from next season at the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), including the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2022, and at the European Le Mans Series (ELMS). In creating the fuel, residues from the wine industry are utilised to produce bioethanol or advanced ethanol, then blended with ETBE (Ethyl Tertio Butyl Ether) following a series of processes including industrial fermentation, distillation then dehydration. All materials used are sourced from the circular economy
Pierre Fillon, President of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest said: “Increasing awareness of social and environmental matters over the last few years has led the motor racing world to focus deeply on these issues. The 24 Hours of Le Mans has been an experimental playground for innovation ever since the first race in 1923 and this exciting new development is in perfect continuity with our founding principles. Our long-standing partner TotalEnergies channels its expertise into developing sustainable solutions. This new, fully renewable fuel is testament to our wholehearted commitment to CSR. When it comes to sustainable development, we continue to step up to the bar, delivering our promise to play our part in sustainable mobility.”