Sunliquid_ 20 Fleet test with Mercedes-Benz vehicles proves fuel.

• A plus for the environment: Improves particle count emissions

and guarantees significant reductions in CO2 emissions using

sunliquid® cellulosic ethanol

• Field test confirms: Excellent combustion characteristics without

additional consumption

Muttenz, February 14, 2017 – Clariant, a leading global specialty chemicals company, together with

Mercedes-Benz and Haltermann Carless, a well-established HCS Group brand, tested the use of

sustainable cellulosic ethanol from agricultural residues in a fleet test with Mercedes-Benz series

vehicles over a period of 12 months for the first time in Germany. sunliquid® 20 was used for the

test – a fuel produced by Haltermann Carless with a cellulosic ethanol content of 20 percent by

volume (E20) from Clariant's sunliquid plant in Straubing. The cellulosic ethanol allows greenhouse

gas emission savings of up to 95% across the entire value chain without competing with food

production or tying up agricultural land.

In the fleet test with Mercedes-Benz vehicles, sunliquid 20 exhibited very good combustion

properties with a high degree of efficiency and identical consumption compared to today's standard

E10 fuel. Due to the slightly lower energy density of E20 compared to E10, slightly higher fuel

consumption was expected under the same operating conditions. The tests performed under

laboratory conditions demonstrated variability in the consumption analysis in which additional

consumption between 0 and 3 percent was observed.

“Developing and bringing solutions to the market for more sustainable mobility is one of the most

important tasks in the transportation sector today. We are very pleased that sunliquid 20 has proven

its high quality in the field test – with the same range and the same driving comfort,” says Dr.

Martin Vollmer, Chief Technology Officer, Clariant. “Cellulosic ethanol from agricultural residues is

a carbon-neutral fuel with great potential, which can be cost-effectively produced and used today. So

that energy transition can succeed in the transportation sector, we urgently need stable framework

conditions, such as the mandatory blending rate for advanced biofuels within the EU member

states.”

“This is yet more evidence that Germany is a technology pioneer in the research and development of

sustainable special fuels. As a specialty company and industry research partner, we are delighted to

be able to produce a fuel with outstanding specifications and environmental properties that can

demonstrate its usefulness in existing engines with existing infrastructure without any issues,”

emphasizes Dr. Bruno Philippon, Senior Vice President Performance Fuels at Haltermann Carless.

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In addition to the proven performance, an improvement in particle count emissions by around 50

percent was measured for sunliquid 20 versus the EU reference fuel Euro 5. The tests have

confirmed the positive properties of the sunliquid 20 fuel.

The 20 percent cellulosic ethanol by volume has another decisive advantage. In addition to the

higher CO2 savings and reduced emissions, it gives the fuel a significantly higher octane number

(RON) of over 100. With a widespread introduction of E20, engines could be adapted in the future

so that the quality advantage of the fuel could be used to improve engine efficiency and thus further

reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

The cellulosic ethanol portion comes from Clariant's sunliquid precommercial plant in Straubing,

where approximately 4,500 tons of agricultural residues such as cereal straw or corn stover are

converted into cellulosic ethanol each year. At the Haltermann Carless production site in Hamburg,

the bioethanol is mixed with selected components to form the innovative fuel whose specifications

represent the potential for the quality of E20 fuel in Europe.

Reader enquiries

Clariant
Rothausstrasse 61
4132 Muttenz 1
Switzerland
+41 61 469 6742
www.clariant.com

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Notes for editors