By Ed Frankl

Italian energy giant Eni SpA and German industrial conglomerate BASF SE said Thursday that they have launched a joint research-and-development initiative to reduce the carbon footprint in the transport sector.

The companies said they agreed to develop a new technology to produce bio-propanol that could reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by 65% to 75% compared to fossil fuels.

The cooperation aims to develop the bio-propanol from glycerin, a side product in the production of industrial biodiesel that Eni would buy from European producers, with a BASF catalyst, the companies said.

Bio-propanol produced in this way can be added as "a drop-in biofuel component to gasoline." It has better chemical properties than bioethanol and is therefore a valuable component for the preparation of premium gasoline, Eni and BASF said.

"The opportunity to collaborate with strong industry partners like Eni is a major driver for innovation and growth for us," Detlef Ruff, senior vice president, process catalysts at BASF said.

Write to Ed Frankl at edward.frankl@dowjones.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

July 29, 2021 09:08 ET (13:08 GMT)

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