eFuelling the revolution: Q&A with Infinium CEO Robert Schuetzle

Since the beginning of 2022, low-carbon fuel maker Infinium has been making an impact on both sides of the Atlantic as the company partners with industry giants like Denbury and Engie to drive down emissions in the transportation sector.

Electrofuels, or eFuels, are a nascent class of drop-in replacement fuels made from renewable energy sources, offering a clean alternative to fossil fuels.

Industry Europe heard from Infinium CEO Robert Schuetzle to find out more about the company's vision, the benefits of eFuels and the future of the transport industry.

Industry Europe: The transportation sector is one of the major emitters of greenhouse gases. What role do eFuels have in decarbonising it?

Robert Schuetzle: Infinium ultra-low carbon electrofuels, also called eFuels, play a critical role in decarbonizing the transportation industry. Our synthetic eFuels can dramatically reduce harmful CO2 emissions by up to 97% over traditional jet and diesel fuels—which will have a huge impact on greenhouse gas emissions when these come to market.  

Outside of the CO2 reduction potential, our eFuels have other premium characteristics which include lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions when combusted compared to traditional fossil-based fuels.

What’s also interesting is that our proprietary production process results in the creation of a low carbon, hydrogen-based naphtha fuel, Infinium Naphtha, which can be used in the production of plastics and other industrial products.

So we see a future in which we play a pivotal role in mitigating the harmful effects of climate change for a variety of industries through this new class of electrofuels.

IE: Do you see eFuels as a long-term solution or as a bridge?

RS: We absolutely think Infinium electrofuels are a significant part of the long-term solution to solving our climate crisis.

We recognize the impact Infinium electrofuels can have on decarbonizing the transportation sector compared with traditional jet and diesel fuels. Couple that with the support and partnerships from governments, investors, and partners such as Amazon, NextEra Energy, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, ENGIE, Denbury and more—and the potential is very big to make a meaningful impact on decarbonizing the world.

IE: Can you talk about some of Infinium’s current projects, such as the one in Dunkirk with Engie and ArcelorMittal, and the one in Brazoria County, Texas with Denbury?

RS: I’m proud of our partnerships with both Engie and Denbury.

Together, we will turn CO2 from a liability into an asset for good, producing Infinium electrofuels that will play a significant role in helping reduce CO2 emissions and help companies meet their corporate climate commitments.

The Reuze facility in Dunkirk, France, is one of the largest announced eFuels projects in Europe. It will convert more than 300,000 tons of CO2 waste every year into eFuels for use in Europe’s shipping and aviation industries. Because the input is CO2 waste and the output is a low-carbon fuel, it’s a net reduction in CO2 emissions.

With Denbury, facilities here in the US state of Texas will source and transport CO2 to the Infinium facilities, which are planned to be sited near Denbury’s existing and planned CO2 pipeline infrastructure. Denbury estimates that the pipeline infrastructure necessary to deliver CO2 to the Infinium facilities will be ready as early as 2025. The facilities are anticipated to utilize as much as 1.5 million tons of CO2 per year that would otherwise be emitted into the atmosphere.

IE: Can you give us an overview of how the technology works? What about upscaling opportunities?

RS: Infinium has spent more than a decade developing its fuel production technology that follows environmentally responsible protocols. At a high level, our process begins by combining renewable power from solar, wind and hydroelectric plants with water to produce ‘green’ hydrogen through electrolysis.

The clean hydrogen is combined with carbon dioxide waste from industrial suppliers to produce synthetic gas, which is put through an additional proprietary process to generate liquid electrofuels. There are obviously a lot of steps to making clean eFuels, and we hold a number of patents and IPs in this space.

IE: What kind of carbon savings are ultra-low carbon fuels offering? What about other greenhouse gases?

RS: Infinium electrofuels have a multitude of benefits and can make a positive impact on our environment in a variety of ways.

For example, Infinium electrofuels dramatically can reduce harmful carbon dioxide emissions by up to 97% over traditional jet and diesel fuels.

In addition to burning much cleaner than traditional jet and diesel fuels, Infinium electrofuels have lower greenhouse gas emissions when combusted, and can have a positive impact on overall basin air quality when blending electrofuels into fuel supplies in densely populated areas. ​

IE: Any other projects you’d like to talk about? 

RS: This year has already been off to a great start with our facilities and projects we’re developing in partnership with ENGIE and Denbury.

We’re also excited to have recently signed Amazon’s Climate Pledge.

Along with 300 other visionary companies, we’re committing to achieving net-zero annual carbon emissions by 2040, measuring and reporting greenhouse gas emissions on a regular basis and implementing decarbonization strategies in line with the Paris Agreement. We commend Amazon for their big efforts to rally companies together to help continue making our world a better place.

What’s exciting though is that we’re only just getting started this year. There’s a lot of momentum and many things are planned for the near future that we’ll be able to share soon. 

IE: What impact do you think the Ukraine crisis will have going forward on the sector?

RS: I think it’s going to have a meaningful impact on how countries view their energy supply and security.

Within the oil industry, it’s very obviously highlighting the urgent need to prioritize a pathway to alternative fuels so we can address our climate crisis while diversifying our sources of energy supply.

I’m proud to lead a company that has meaningful solutions for this that can help drive significant change.

IE: What are Infinium’s future plans?

RS: What’s exciting about where we are now is that we’ve driven a lot of momentum, but we still have a lot of initiatives in progress that we will continue to build on—all supporting our goal of decarbonizing the world.

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