Shell biogasoline startup a 'world first'

London – Virent Energy Systems, Inc. and Shell have start production at what they say is the world’s first demonstration plant converting plant sugars into gasoline and gasoline blend components, rather than ethanol.

The startup at Virent’s site in Madison, Wisconsin is part of a joint biogasoline R&D effort launched by the companies in March 2008. The demo plant has the capacity to produce up to 38,000 litres per year, which will be used for engine and fleet testing.

The new biofuel can be blended with gasoline in high concentrations for use in standard gasoline engines. The product, said Shelll, could eliminate the need for specialised infrastructure, engine modifications, and blending equipment necessary for the use of gasoline containing more than 10% ethanol.

Virent’s patented BioForming platform technology uses catalysts to convert plant sugars into hydrocarbon molecules like those produced at a petroleum refinery. Traditionally, sugars have been fermented into ethanol and distilled.

Virent’s ’biogasoline’ fuel molecules have higher energy content than ethanol and deliver better fuel economy. They can be blended “seamlessly” to make conventional gasoline or combined with gasoline containing ethanol, according to a Shell statement.

The sugars can be sourced from non-food feedstocks such as corn stover, wheat straw and sugarcane pulp, in addition to conventional biofuel feedstocks such as wheat, corn and sugarcane. The demonstration plant is currently using beet sugar.

“Moving from lab-scale to a demonstration production plant is an important milestone for biogasoline,” said Luis Scoffone, vice president of Alternative Energies at Shell. ”There is some way to go on the route to commercialisation, but we have been delighted with the speed of progress achieved by our collaboration with Virent.”