The real-world laboratory, which is being implemented jointly by Austria’s leading research institutions in the field of advanced biofuels, will create a high-quality and globally unique research infrastructure for sustainable energy carriers such as Fischer-Tropsch diesel (FT diesel) and synthetic natural gas (SNG). The Advanced Bioenergy Lab Austria is the world’s first facility of its kind for the production of green energy sources, incorporating both SNG and FT-diesel production. The project is receiving funding of 28 million euros.
Agriculture and forestry can be pioneers in climate protection
The starting point for the project was the idea of driving forward climate protection in agriculture and forestry. Residual materials generated in these sectors are to be utilised in a circular process to produce fossil-free and environmentally friendly fuels, which will in turn be made available to agricultural and forestry businesses. A feasibility study commissioned by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Climate and Environmental Protection, Regions and Water Management (BMLUK) and carried out by TU Wien concluded that such production of green energy sources from forestry biomass can make a significant contribution to achieving Austria’s climate targets. The real-world laboratory is intended, in particular, to demonstrate the technical feasibility of replacing fossil fuels in agriculture and forestry by 100%. Furthermore, the aim is to significantly accelerate the market introduction of technologies for the thermochemical utilisation of woody biomass and biogenic residues for the production of green gases and biofuels. In addition, the project also represents a major opportunity for the supply of climate-neutral natural gas to energy-intensive industries in Austria.
A key advantage of the selected fuels is that they can be used as ‘drop-in fuels’ without the need for further adaptation of distribution networks or vehicle fleets. Furthermore, they can meet all the requirements of the Renewable Energy Directive and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 90 % compared with fossil-based products.
Strengthening Austrias research hub with Advanced Biofuels
The gas production technology used in the “Advances Bioenergy Lab Austria – Phase 1” (ABL1) project was largely developed at the Institute of Chemical, Environmental and Bioscience Engineering at TU Wien, which, under the leadership of Stefan Müller, became the consortium lead in September 2026. It forms the basis for the production of synthetic natural gas and liquid fuels. Using a two-bed fluidised-bed gasifier, syngas is produced from woody biomass or agricultural and forestry residues; this syngas is then purified and processed in two different process chains to produce either Fischer-Tropsch diesel or synthetic natural gas (SNG). The SNG synthesis takes place in a fluidised bed, where the SNG is processed for injection into the natural gas grid. As a second synthesis line, the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis is carried out using a ‘slurry bubble column reactor’ to subsequently produce a fuel that complies with standards. Following this initial step, the research and development plant can be further adapted into a technology platform to produce, for example, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
TU Wien has been conducting research for decades into the sustainable use and technological advancement of fluidised bed technology, as well as the production of sustainable energy carriers – a focus that also lies at the heart of the real-world laboratory currently being implemented in Zeltweg (Styria). In particular, the integration of modern requirements relating to fuels, energy efficiency, product optimisation and climate compatibility has long been a key focus of research within the Research Unit of Fuel and Energy System Engineering at TU Wien. In the current project, these foundational elements have been provided in the form of computer-aided calculations as well as mass and energy balances. This enables TU Wien to provide scientific support for the further development of a technology – right through to the demonstration phase – for which knowledge and expertise have been built up over many years.
Final step before market readiness
The implementation as a real-world laboratory envisaged in the ABL1 project is intended to support technical scaling up to industrial-scale plants, ensure economic viability and instil confidence in the process chains under consideration among plant engineering companies, investors and future operating companies alike. The real-world laboratory is the world’s first plant of its kind for the production of green energy carriers, incorporating both SNG and FT diesel production. Whilst the research partners already have laboratory and pilot plants for the production of FT diesel and SNG in the kilowatt range, the real-world laboratory, with a fuel thermal output of 5 megawatts, is now set to bridge the gap to industrial implementation and thus enable the final step towards market readiness and the construction of commercial plants.
This innovative project for the production of green fuels has received €28,000,000 in funding from the FFG and features a high-calibre consortium comprising leading Austrian research institutions in the field of advanced biofuels: Alongside TU Wien, the consortium includes AIT Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH, BEST – Bioenergy and Sustainable Technologies GmbH, BOKU University, University of Applied Sciences Wiener Neustadt (FHWN), Güssing Energy Technologies GmbH (GET), Josephinum Research (JR) and Technical University of Leoben (MUL). The construction and operation of the real-world laboratory will be carried out by a cooperative established specifically for this purpose, Advanced Bioenergy Lab eGen. The ABL1 project is funded by Austrias Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Climate and Environmental Protection, Regions and Water Management using funds from the Forest Fund. The funding is administered via the FFG’s THINK.WOOD. Energie funding scheme.
Further information
https://www.tuwien.at/tch/icebe/ipe/projekte/advanced-bioenergy-lab-austria
Contact
Dr. Stefan Müller
TU Wien
Research Unit of Fuel and Energy System Engineering
+43 1 58801 166366
stefan.mueller@tuwien.ac.at
Dr. Alexander Bartik
TU Wien
Research Group for Industrial Plant Engineering and Application of Digital Methods
+43 1 58801 166855
Alexander.Bartik@tuwien.ac.at
Text: Sarah Link
This project is funded by the Forest Fund, an initiative of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, Climate and Environmental Protection, Regions and Water Management, and is being carried out as part of the Think.Wood programme of the Austrian Wood Initiative.