A start-up from Germany turns wastewater into fuel

Swill becomes power A start-up from Germany turns wastewater into fuel

2025-03-26 Source: dpa | Translated by AI 1 min Reading Time

Fuel from wastewater, as extracted by experts from Mannheim, could contribute to more sustainable shipping, as reported by dpa.

For decades, people have been wondering what to do with all the dirty water left behind by modern society. Clever minds from Mannheim are now simply making e-methanol from it! Is this the new course towards more climate-friendly shipping? ...(Image: Climate guide) — For decades, people have been wondering what to do with all the dirty water left behind by modern society. Clever minds from Mannheim are now simply making e-methanol from it! Is this the new course towards more climate-friendly shipping? ...
(Image: Climate guide)

The German start-up Icodos presents an innovative process that allows climate-neutral methanol to be extracted from wastewater to power ships. The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) has also immediately patented the idea as a project partner, as it further states. The newly opened production facility is called Mannheim 001 and works with the wastewater treatment plant in Mannheim, Germany. As a result, the world's first plant where sewage gas from wastewater can be converted into e-methanol in an integrated process stands there.

Small capacity, but promising approach

However, the facility only produces small amounts of e-methanol, as the participants admit. More precisely, it produces about 50 liters per day (approx. 13 gallons) and essentially serves as a demonstration plant. But currently, they are already building a larger one that can produce 15 times more methanol – about 750 liters per day (approx. 198 gallons). This facility is located near Paris and is expected to be operational by the end of 2026. For perspective: According to Icodos, a modern container ship has a tank volume of about 16,000 cubic meters (16 million liters / 4,23 million gallons) of methanol and can travel approximately 41,400 kilometers (approx. 25,750 miles) with it. This means that even the facility in France would need to produce for over 21,333 days to fuel a container ship. The costs for the project have been covered, among other things, by funding from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The value of the facility alone is around two million euros.

Subscribe to the newsletter now

Don't Miss out on Our Best Content

Business E-mail

Please enter a valid mailadress.

By clicking on „Subscribe to Newsletter“ I agree to the processing and use of my data according to the consent form (please expand for details) and accept the Terms of Use. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy. The consent declaration relates, among other things, to the sending of editorial newsletters by email and to data matching for marketing purposes with selected advertising partners (e.g., LinkedIn, Google, Meta)

Date: 08.12.2025

Naturally, we always handle your personal data responsibly. Any personal data we receive from you is processed in accordance with applicable data protection legislation. For detailed information please see our privacy policy.

Consent to the use of data for promotional purposes

I hereby consent to Vogel Communications Group GmbH & Co. KG, Max-Planck-Str. 7-9, 97082 Würzburg including any affiliated companies according to §§ 15 et seq. AktG (hereafter: Vogel Communications Group) using my e-mail address to send editorial newsletters. A list of all affiliated companies can be found here

Newsletter content may include all products and services of any companies mentioned above, including for example specialist journals and books, events and fairs as well as event-related products and services, print and digital media offers and services such as additional (editorial) newsletters, raffles, lead campaigns, market research both online and offline, specialist webportals and e-learning offers. In case my personal telephone number has also been collected, it may be used for offers of aforementioned products, for services of the companies mentioned above, and market research purposes.

Additionally, my consent also includes the processing of my email address and telephone number for data matching for marketing purposes with select advertising partners such as LinkedIn, Google, and Meta. For this, Vogel Communications Group may transmit said data in hashed form to the advertising partners who then use said data to determine whether I am also a member of the mentioned advertising partner portals. Vogel Communications Group uses this feature for the purposes of re-targeting (up-selling, cross-selling, and customer loyalty), generating so-called look-alike audiences for acquisition of new customers, and as basis for exclusion for on-going advertising campaigns. Further information can be found in section “data matching for marketing purposes”.

In case I access protected data on Internet portals of Vogel Communications Group including any affiliated companies according to §§ 15 et seq. AktG, I need to provide further data in order to register for the access to such content. In return for this free access to editorial content, my data may be used in accordance with this consent for the purposes stated here. This does not apply to data matching for marketing purposes.

Right of revocation

I understand that I can revoke my consent at will. My revocation does not change the lawfulness of data processing that was conducted based on my consent leading up to my revocation. One option to declare my revocation is to use the contact form found at https://contact.vogel.de. In case I no longer wish to receive certain newsletters, I have subscribed to, I can also click on the unsubscribe link included at the end of a newsletter. Further information regarding my right of revocation and the implementation of it as well as the consequences of my revocation can be found in the data protection declaration, section editorial newsletter.