Empa researcher develops catalysts for renewable gasoline
St.Gallen - Alessia Cesarini has been awarded the Empa Entrepreneur Fellowship. The researcher at the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa) received the award for her development of catalysts for producing gasoline from renewable molecules such as ethylene and propylene.
(CONNECT) The Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa) has awarded researcher Alessia Cesarini an Empa Entrepreneur Fellowship. According to a statement, the researcher at the Chemical Energy Carriers and Vehicle Systems Laboratory in St. Gallen received the award for her work on developing climate-friendly gasoline.
At the heart of the project is a chemical process called oligomerization. In this process, a fuel very similar to conventional fossil gasoline is synthesized from renewable molecules such as ethylene and propylene. Laboratory demonstrations have yielded gasoline with an octane rating of 95, a key benchmark for conventional gasoline. To achieve this, Alessia Cesarini has developed a patented family of catalysts that make the process highly efficient and help keep energy consumption low.
Initial estimates suggest that the synthetic fuel could also be cost-competitive. A laboratory demonstrator with a production capacity of 10,000 liters per year is already in operation. Industrial-scale production is planned for a later phase. Empa intends to begin the market launch of the new fuel in the forestry sector. According to Empa’s findings, the new fuel can also be distributed within the existing fuel logistics network, thereby enabling a smooth transition toward lower CO2 mobility.
The jury was convinced by “the high level of technological innovation and a clear strategy for gradually bringing the technology to market together with industrial partners,” as Empa reported.
Cesarini plans to gradually bring the technology to market together with industry partners. “To date, my career has been a dedicated progression from scientist to entrepreneur,” the researcher explained. “This project builds on my research on catalysts for synthetic fuels and my vision of making CO₂‑neutral mobility economically viable. The goal is a solution that works with existing vehicles and infrastructure – sustainable both environmentally and economically.” ce/ww