The renewable glycerine-based marine biofuel developed by UK-based company Quadrise has recorded improved efficiency boosts and emission reduction figures in new tests.
Quadrise said tests on its emulsion fuel in a Cummins 4-stroke diesel engine at the Aquafuel Research test facility in the UK showed “much higher diesel engine efficiency can be achieved with bioMSAR without increasing NOx emissions”.
Engine efficiency benefits of 3% and reductions of Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) emissions of more than 20% on diesel fuel were reported in a first phase of testing in 2021.
But the latest tests demonstrated that by advancing injection timing, efficiency could be increased by more than 13% to further cut fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, Quadrise said.
Higher engine efficiencies normally cause increased combustion temperatures and NOx emissions, but the tests showed it was possible to reduce inlet air temperature to the same level as diesel to further reduce NOx levels by over 30%, it added.
This makes bioMSAR’s NOx levels about 45% lower than diesel, chief executive Jason Miles said.
“These results support our plans for larger-scale bioMSAR testing this year, and ultimately commercialisation,” he added.
Further tests are planned at Aquafuel this year, and Quadrise hopes the biofuel will also be trialled on container ships operated by Mediterranean Shipping Co.
Separately, former Royal Dutch Shell executive Andy Morrison has been appointed non-executive chairman of the company.
Morrison spent 17 years in Shell’s oil products, lubricants and speciality chemicals divisions and subsequently held senior positions at BG Group and BOC Group in corporate strategy and business development as well as led junior listed companies in the energy and ESG sectors.
