Shell stated that the collaboration could herald the availability of new biofuels that can be used at high blend rates in standard gasoline engines. This could potentially eliminate the need for specialized infrastructure, new engine designs and blending equipment.
Virent’s BioForming technology platform uses catalysts to convert plant sugars into hydrocarbon molecules like those produced at a petroleum refinery. These new biogasoline molecules reportedly have higher energy content than ethanol and deliver better fuel efficiency, according to Shell.
The energy major noted that these biogasoline molecules can be blended seamlessly to make conventional gasoline or combined with gasoline containing ethanol. The sugars can be sourced from non-food sources like corn stover, switch grass, wheat straw and sugarcane pulp, in addition to conventional biofuel feedstock like wheat, corn and sugarcane.
Graeme Sweeney, Shell’s executive vice president for future fuels and CO2, said: The technical properties of today’s biofuels pose some challenges to widespread adoption. Fuel distribution infrastructure and vehicle engines are being modified to cope but new fuels on the horizon, such as Virent’s, with characteristics similar or even superior to gasoline and diesel, are very exciting.
