Consortium to work on 'next-generation' auto fuels

Toyota announced that it is part of a consortium of six private companies that have established the Research Association of Biomass Innovation for Next Generation Automobile Fuels. The five other companies include Eneos Corporation, Suzuki Motor Corporation, Subaru Corporation, Daihatsu Motor Co. Ltd., and Toyota’s trading arm, Toyota Tsusho.

According to Toyota, the aim of the conglomerate is to study the ways to optimize the process of producing fuels such as hydrogen and synthetic fuels based on electricity from renewable energy sources, as well as bioethanol fuels that are able to reduce CO2 emissions through photosynthesis in plants are promising options.

United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has confirmed the effectiveness of the aforementioned energy options.

However, members of the Research Association of Biomass Innovation for Next Generation Automobile Fuels believe that it is essential to clarify the issues and search for a solution regarding CO2 emission reduction and social implementation throughout the manufacturing process, in addition to raw material procurement for any of these fuels.

Toyota shares that the Research Association of Biomass Innovation for Next Generation Automobile Fuels is focusing on four specific research areas to promote technological research on the use of biomass, as well as the efficient production of bioethanol fuel for automobiles through the optimized circulation of hydrogen, oxygen, and CO2 during production to achieve a carbon-neutral society.

The first of which is the research on efficient ethanol production systems. This area of research aims to improve production technology for second-generation bioethanol fuels. Second is the research on byproduct oxygen, CO2 capture, and utilization where the five involved companies will study how to use the high concentration of oxygen generated as a byproduct during hydrogen production as well as the CO2 generated during bioethanol fuel production.

Its third area of research deals with the investigation of the issues involved with using bioethanol fuel obtained in research facilities in automobiles and other vehicles and exploring solutions. And lastly is the research on efficient raw material crop cultivation methods which deals with developing a system that proposes optimal cultivation methods for maximizing yield and optimizing crop components to secure raw materials for bioethanol fuels.

The Research Association of Biomass Innovation for Next Generation Automobile Fuels was established on July 1 and is headquartered in Fukushima. Toyota Motor Corporation’s Head of Carbon Neutral Development Division, Koichi Nakata, will sit as the research group’s Chairman.

Photos from Toyota

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