Review TMFB
Since 2007, the Cluster of Excellence “Tailor-Made Fuels from Biomass” (TMFB) has been working on a solution for one of the major challenges that our society is facing: a rising energy demand and the limited availability of fossil energy resources. For this purpose, researchers from the fields of chemistry, biology, process engineering and mechanical engineering have joined forces in this Cluster of Excellence to develop new alternative fuels from biomass which will not be competing with the food chain.
The vision of the cluster of excellence was to establish innovative and sustainable processes for the conversion of whole plants into fuels which are tailor-made for novel low-temperature combustion engine processes with high efficiency and low pollutant emissions, paving the way to the 3rd generation of biofuels. A tailor-made fuel as aimed for by the researchers in TMFB is defined as a well-defined blend of distinct molecular components with optimized physicochemical properties for future combustion systems, which can be produced by sustainable and economical production processes. In an interdisciplinary approach, more than 70 scientists were engaged in analyzing, understanding and optimizing the synthesis and combustion of such fuels.
Research Structure
The research activities of TMFB were organized in two major "Integrated Research Fields" (IRF): IRF-A "From Biomass to Biofuels" and IRF-B "From Biofuels to Propulsion". These research fields were linked by the "Core Interaction Field" (CIF) "Fuel Design".
CIF – Fuel Design
The Core Interaction Field strives to develop a model-based description of the entire process chain from biofuel production to fuel conversion in the combustion engine, eventually leading to the envisioned model-based fuel design.
IRF-A – From Biomass to Biofuels
The IRF-A addresses the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to tailor-made fuels via selective chemical and bio-chemical transformation processes. This research domain develops fundamental scientific understanding and methodological innovations in the field of selective biomass conversion in a highly interdisciplinary approach.
IRF-B – From Biofuels to Propulsion
The main aim of IRF-B is to describe and understand all properties of the new biofuels in order to modify and define desired fuel properties for clean and efficient combustion. New biofuels differ notably from the widely known ones, especially with regard to their interaction with the environment.
Information Material
Below you can find further information on the former cluster "Tailor-Made Fuels from Biomass". The status reports of 2012-2014 and 2015-2016 contain an overview of all TMFB-projects and their results of the respective years. The image brochure contains general information about the Cluster of Excellence.