Vereinigte Werkstätten für Pflanzenöltechnologie

The Vereinigte Werkstätten für Pflanzenöltechnologie (VWP) are a SME formed in the year 1993. VWP does research and development for using pure vegetable oil as fuel in cars, trucks, tractors, generators and combined heat and power plants (CHP).

VWP applied for, and claims 17 patents on pure vegetable oil combustion engines and has a unique selling position in this market. VWP sells know-how and licenses and also converts vehicles for private customers.

Within the last ten years, a few thousand cars, trucks and tractors have been converted to pure vegetable oil. More than 500 vehicles have successfully been subject to long-time monitoring within European and governmental research and demonstration programs.

The worldwide first serial production of small vegetable-oil-fuelled CHP (SenerTec) started on July 2007. It is based on research & development, demonstration and monitoring of SenerTec CHP converted by VWP in the EU funded FP5-project 100 % RENET. As a consequence of experiences with closed soot filter systems in the 100 % RENET project, VWP realized that the so far existing fuel quality norm DIN-V-51605 for 1st generation vegetable oils is not sufficient for high-end diesel engines with closed particulate filter systems. VWP concluded that similar to different sold qualities of diesel or gasoline, advanced engine technology needs further developed, i.e. 2nd generation vegetable oils as fuel. VWP has brought these conclusions into the ongoing discussions within the German Association being about to establish a Quality Norm for vegetable oil.

In 2004 VWP received the poster award at the 2nd World Biomass Conference in Rome and the German Solar Prize 2004 of EUROSOLAR. In 2007 VWP was granted for its "Sustainable CO2-Fuel Recycling Concept" with the "Moppert-Prize" of the Swiss Sarasin Bank. In November 2008 VWP will be honored with a Tech Award in the Environment category of the Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose, California.