Pilot plant in Mannheim delivers tailored climate friendly fuel blends

by Robert Schreiber
Berlin, Germany (SPX) Jan 21, 2026

Tank trucks in Mannheim can now load customized blends of fossil and renewable fuels from a new pilot plant that documents greenhouse gas savings for every delivery. The inline blending facility, located at the tank farm of Exolum Mannheim GmbH, enables flexible mixing of electricity based or biogenic fuels with conventional products and provides immediate, digital verification of their climate impact.

According to Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), which provides scientific support, the plant is an important step toward scaling up regenerative fuels, known as reFuels. "The new inline blending plant enables us for the first time to produce demand-oriented quantities of fossil and renewable fuels and to document their climate impact transparently and immediately. This is a crucial step toward scaling up reFuels," said Professor Thomas Hirth, Vice President Transfer and International Affairs at KIT.

The concept targets sectors where electrification remains difficult or only partially possible, including shipping, aviation, and heavy duty road transport. "Electricity based and biogenic fuels are essential building blocks for improved climate protection especially where electromobility is not feasible or only partly applicable. This includes, for example, ships, aircraft, and heavy-duty transport," said Elke Zimmer, Undersecretary at the Baden Wuerttemberg Ministry of Transport, during a visit to the Mannheim site.

Zimmer noted that the project is designed to support the use of more climate friendly gasoline at ports on Lake Constance, in the state police fleet, and in more sustainable aviation fuels at Baden Wuerttemberg airports. By incorporating regionally produced fuels into the blends, the plant aims to promote both their use and production ramp up while strengthening fuel supply security. The digital documentation allows CO2 savings to be displayed directly on fuel receipts.

ReFuels are regeneratively produced liquid fuels that match the energy density of fossil fuels and are considered a promising route to CO2 neutral mobility. They can be made from agricultural and forestry residues, industrial and household waste, or from CO2 in combination with sustainably generated hydrogen. This compatibility with existing infrastructure and engines allows them to be blended with conventional fuels and distributed via established logistics chains.

The Mannheim pilot plant connects three storage tanks holding different fuel types: renewable, electricity based, and fossil. Precise measuring technology and sensors ensure that each blend is mixed exactly to specification as it is loaded into tank trucks. Software then calculates the greenhouse gas savings for each individual delivery and records the data as official verification that can be used by companies to document improvements in their carbon footprint and meet regulatory obligations.

By enabling small, flexible blending volumes, the facility opens a practical pathway for bringing regenerative fuels to market. "This allows regenerative reFuels to reach consumers fuel tanks for the first time," said Dr. Olaf Toedter from KITs Institute of Internal Combustion Engines, who coordinates the project. The ability to quantify and certify CO2 reductions provides an additional financial and reputational incentive for fuel distributors and end users to choose blends with higher renewable content.

Transport remains one of the largest sources of CO2 emissions alongside energy, industry, and buildings, and demand for liquid fuels is expected to continue even as electrification progresses. For policymakers in Baden Wuerttemberg, reFuels are therefore a key instrument in climate protection strategies for mobility. Since 2018, the state Ministry of Transport has supported the production ramp up and deployment of more climate friendly fuels as part of a broader reFuels Roadmap.

More than 40 studies and implementation projects have been funded under this roadmap to explore technical, economic, and regulatory aspects of regenerative fuels across different transport modes. The Mannheim blending project, known as BlendBilanz4Mobility, has received around 325,000 euros in state funding to demonstrate how digitally monitored blending can be integrated into existing fuel logistics. The project is expected to provide reference data and operational experience for further facilities in the region and beyond.