Plans to turn large amounts of biodegradable municipal waste into fuel have been announced by the world's third largest chemical company, Ineos.

The Hampshire-based petro-chemical firm - which is planning to build a large scale energy-from-waste facility in Cheshire to tie in with the £320 million Greater Manchester PFI contract - has unveiled ‘breakthrough technology' capable of turning a variety of wastes into fuel.

The development of the new fuel follows 20 years of research by Ineos

By 2011, the company intends to produce commercial quantities of bioethanol from municipal solid waste, organic commercial waste and agricultural residues. Through a process developed in Arkansas, USA, the company claims it can turn one tonne of dry waste into roughly 400 litres (100 gallons) of ethanol.

However, this is not set to affect Ineos' plans for Greater Manchester's waste, with the company stressing that there was no link between the two.

Peter Williams, Ineos Bio chief executive officer, said: "In North America and Europe we will see around 10% or more of petrol being replaced with bioethanol. Our technology will make a major contribution to reducing greenhouse gases and the world's need for fossil fuels."

Fuel

Ineos claims that its bioethanol, which can either be blended with petrol or replace it altogether, reduces greenhouse gases by 90% and avoids using food crops in the production process.

Mr Williams said: "The fact that we have been able to decouple second generation biofuel from food is a major breakthrough, and we expect our technology to provide cost competitive, sustainable, renewable fuels."

The second generation fuel has been welcomed by experts from the biofuel industry such as Dr Geraint Jones, technology transfer manager for the UK's National Non Food Crops Centre.

Dr Jones said: "This is a breakthrough in two areas. Technologically because we can use municipal solid waste, and commercially because we have to produce large volumes of bioethanol viably across the world."

Test

Research into the technology has been carried out since 1989, with an integrated pilot plant being purpose built just outside the city of Fayetteville, Arkansas. Following 20 years of research, the technology has had its three-stage process tested to a pilot plant scale.

In the three-stage process, first waste is heated to a high temperature to produce gas and then, utilising a patented process, the gases are fed to naturally-occurring, anaerobic bacteria (known as a biocatalyst).

This produces ethanol and an off gas, which is used for additional power and heat. The resulting ethanol is then purified in stage three to make anhydrous ethanol, which can then be blended with petrol for use in cars.

A spokesman for the company told letsrecycle.com today that it was currently looking at where their first commercial plant would be built.

However, he was unable to say whether the technology would be used to treat residual waste at its planned Runcorn facility in Cheshire (see letsrecycle.com story) and stressed that there was no link between the two at present.