E-Stoff (FT)

E-Stoff is a grain alcohol-based product that is widely used in the Southern Human Sphere, accounting for about 61% of all combustible fuel use in the region. E-Stoff is produced exclusively from genetically modified wheat crops designed and distributed by ProBiTech International; various syntholine and products produced from other types of biomass or syngas also exist as competing products. E-Stoff is also known by a variety of brand names such as CH3, Energia, Yonjeon*, HOCH-2, MugiDen**, and others marketed by various fuel companies and their subsidiaries to consumers. E-Stoff sales, production, and product quality are regulated by the Consortium of E-Stoff Producing Companies (CESPC).

History
Synthetic fuels were developed centuries ago during the Techsurge Era on Ordis, and eventually came to replace naturally-occurring crude oil and natural gas products as the reserves on Ordis eventually ran out. Due to the sheer proliferation and ease of use of combustion-reliant technologies, as well as various cultural and corporate influences, humanity was not able to entirely move away from combustible fuels despite many alternatives becoming available. The absence of organic hydrocarbons on extraterrestrial worlds further pushed humanity to develop synthetic fuels as they expanded across space.

The earliest iteration of E-Stoff was first developed in 150 BT by Frontier BioTech, a relatively small agri-corp on New Mansan. By combining the DNA of common Ordic Triticum Vulgaris wheat with flora native to New Mansan, Frontier BioTech was able to create Triticum Vulgaris Novomansanis, an extremely hardy plant capable of growing in less-developed, alien environments while maintaining an extremely high sugar content. Though initially meant to be a fast-growing and hardy "superfood" for frontier colonists, a breakthrough occurred when in-house scientists attempted to produce syntholine from Novomansanis. The resulting product was cleaner-burning and more energy efficient than various similar products available in the frontier, though it was still inferior to many syntholines made on Ordis.

As Frontier BioTech was too small to attempt to break into the energy industry, the company partnered with the Outer Systems Energy Corporation (OseCorp) to produce and market E-Stoff to the colonial frontier. In order to ensure that OseCorp and potential future customers did not eventually cut them out of the deal, Frontier BioTech engineered a "genetic time bomb" in the Novomansanis genome that would cause crops to become sterile after a set number of generations, a practice that continues to the modern day. Frontier BioTech also monopolised the specially-engineered yeast used to produce the exact composition of E-Stoff, selling the yeast in prepackaged form to OseCorp for production.

Upon its introduction, E-Stoff rapidly gained popularity among the frontier population. E-Stoff was cheaper for consumers as it was made with local ingredients and did not need to be shipped in from the Cradle Worlds, and marketing by OseCorp focused on the pioneering and independent sentiments that many local colonists held, enabling the new product to compete against more established syntholine products backed by even larger energy corporations.

The turning point for E-Stoff occurred with the independence of the Airavatan Democratic Republic in 55 BT, the first extrasolar colony to gain independence from Ordis. As most Ordic energy conglomerates began pulling out of Airavata at the insistence of the colonial powers, Frontier BioTech was well-positioned to offer access to E-Stoff to Ariavata to secure the planet's energy supply. As relations between Ordis and the frontier colonies began deteriorating, E-Stoff rapidly became the most used fuel in the Southern Frontier, and Frontier BioTech expanded its customers to include the Airavata National Energy Group and Kulikov Petrochemicals.

After the Southern Sphere attained independent under the Federation, OseCorp rebranded itself as the Independent Systems Energy Corporation (IseCorp), remaining one of the main and largest producers of E-Stoff, accounting for some 33% of E-Stoff production alone through its subsidiaries.

In 143, Frontier BioTech formed a merger with Progressive Genetics International, becoming ProBiTech.

Description
Basic E-Stoff is a synthetic grain-based alcohol with a high energy potential. It burns at a higher temperature than most other alcohols and combusts extremely quickly, comparable to ancient petroleum, though the modern variants generally produce less emissions. Used in spark-ignited internal combustion engines, E-Stoff is produced in various grades featuring different molecular weights and isomers for use in different types of engines and purposes. Different variants of E-Stoff also often feature other additives that improve engine life, such as lubricants. Technically, all E-Stoff engines can use any grade of E-Stoff, though it is highly recommended to use the proper grade of fuel with the proper engine type for safety and optimal efficiency.

E-Stoff burns cleaner than the petroleum-based fuels used on ancient Ordis, as well as competing products like Energico and GoHo. Though the wheat used in the production of E-Stoff is edible, Basic E-Stoff is highly toxic when introduced to living beings, and can cause blindness and disorientation at low doses, and death at higher doses. E-Stoff can also be used as a disinfectant, though the additives in the fuel such as lubricants and engine-cleaning fluid nanites may cause other side effects.

The essential ingredient in E-Stoff is a patented high-sugar wheat, Triticum Vulgaris Novomansanis, which is fermented into alcohol and distilled into E-Stoff. Novomansanis combines the DNA of Old Ordic Triticum Vulgaris wheat with local flora native to New Mansan, as well as other modifications that make the plant extremely hardy, high-yield, and fast-growing. Novomansanis is engineered to be unable to adapt or evolve on its own in order to prevent mutations from causing unsatisfactory performance, and the plants are programmed to become sterile after a limited number of generations, forcing licensees to regularly purchase centrally-produced seeds from ProBiTech, allowing ProBiTech to ensure that each generation of novomansanis is properly updated to grow healthily and reach proper standards.

Production and sale
Production of E-Stoff occurs at an interplanetary industrial scale to meet high demand for the fuel. Under the licenses issued by ProBiTech, E-Stoff producing companies are given the freedom to produce E-Stoff in any manner they see fit, though more restrictive measures are imposed by the CESPC to ensure the preservation of E-Stoff's standardised quality, safety, and public image. E-Stoff is patented in almost all states within the Human Sphere, with ProBiTech and the CESPC also investigating the potential to impose similar legal rights management in alien civilisations as well. Continued development of E-Stoff over centuries has resulted in the modern product having become the cleanest-burning and most energy efficient syntholine in human history.

Licensees purchase seeds produced in bulk in ProBiTech seed plantations on New Mansan and Airavata, which grow "seed-bearing" plants which are dedicated entirely to seed production. E-Stoff producing companies operate vast monoculture plantations across the Southern Sphere, with novomansanis plantations dedicated to E-Stoff production making up roughly 43% of industrial-scale grain production alone. There are Novomansanis plantations on many planets to meet local demand and reduce costs of interstellar shipping, but some planets' general conditions are not conducive to large-scale agriculture, forcing them to rely on imported fuel.

After harvesting, the wheat grains are fermented with specialised genetically-engineered yeast in industrial facilities to produce the high-energy alcohol that is basic E-Stoff. ProBiTech also markets yeasts genetically engineered to maximise production to its licensees, though the fuel production companies are not contractually bound to use ProBiTech's yeast. Various proprietary yeasts and other industrial additives such as lubricants are also added to the fuel by the various companies, causing some variation across the E-Stoff market, though all E-Stoff products must meet certain exacting baselines set by the CESPC. All E-Stoff products are artificially coloured green to assist in visual identification.

Since around 100 AT, ProBiTech has engineered the novomansanis wheat to be safe to eat, and it is generally considered to be quite tasty. During years when there is a grain surplus, some fuel companies donate excess grain to poverty-stricken regions throughout the Southern Sphere.

E-Stoff is usually sold to consumers in liquid form, ranging from large tanks for industrial purposes to small cans for individual use. Though different companies have different practices, the fuel is typically cooled into a gel or solid form to save space during surface-to-orbit transportation. Large sea-borne tanker ships are also used to transport large quantities of E-Stoff across planets with oceans.

Due to the highly standardised nature of Basic E-Stoff, most producers leverage on their differing additives or production processes to differentiate themselves from competing companies. E-Stoff is highly ubiquitous and can be used for home heaters, cooking grills and burners, industrial power plants, vehicle engines, and more. Vehicles burning E-Stoff represent the third-largest group of vehicles in the Southern Sphere with a total market share of 21%, behind electric vehicles (24%) and hydrogen vehicles (38%). Many vehicles are hybrid E-Stoff and electric vehicles.

Few retailers actually sell their products under the name E-Stoff due to generification of the term. Only the Airavata National Energy Group still sells its product as E-Stoff, and IseCorp sells a product branded as Original E-Stoff. The largest E-Stoff products in the Empire are CH3, sold by Imperial International Energy Corporation and Sodehara Petrochemicals and Energy Corporation, and MugiDen, sold by Mitsuhishi Imperial Hydrocarbons and its subsidiaries.

E-Stoff vehicles are often widely used in less developed regions that may lack the infrastructure to support hydrogen or electric vehicles. E-Stoff for vehicles, like hydrogen, is usually dispensed from dedicated filling stations in major urban areas and along major roads.

CESPC
The Consortium of E-Stoff Producing Companies (CESPC) is a group of companies that hold the oligopoly over E-Stoff production and distribution in the Southern Sphere. The CESPC has an agreement with ProBiTech for exclusive rights to novomansanis licenses, and ensures that all member companies produce E-Stoff to an acceptable quality, sells at a competitive price, and meets safety and consumer protection standards. In exchange, ProBiTech has the assurance that their association with E-Stoff is not tarnished by low-quality products or scandals, in addition to licence fees from novomansanis production and seed sales.

Some of the larger companies represented on the CESPC are the Airavata National Energy Group, Energetika Group, IseCorp, Kulikov Petrochemicals International, Northern Star Energy Company, the Group of Independent Energy Corporations (GEIC), the Imperial International Energy Corporation, Sodehara Petrochemicals and Energy Corporation, Mitsuhishi Imperial Hydrocarbons, and many others.

The Imperial International Energy Corporation is a subsidiary of the Imperial State Energy Corporation, a state-controlled company in charge of energy production and distribution within the Empire. It was created to satisfy the CESPC after it threatened to remove the Imperial State Energy Corporation from the CESPC for its concurrent involvement in the competing GoHo industry.