Nice to kleran that shell has an " executive vice president of future fuels and CO2".
Posted on 03/27/2008 6:26:26 AM PDT by thackney
It looks like gasoline, smells like gasoline and runs in regular gasoline engines, but it isn't made from crude oil; it comes from crops.
It's called "biogasoline," and under a partnership announced Wednesday between Royal Dutch Shell and Virent Energy Systems, it could be coming to a filling station near you.
The European oil giant and the Madison, Wis.-based bioscience firm said they are working on a way to convert plant sugars found in non-food crops like switchgrass or sugarcane pulp into a synthetic gasoline that can be substituted for petroleum-based gasoline.
The fuel could be a breakthrough. Unlike ethanol, it can be used in high concentrations in conventional gasoline engines, and can be stored and transported in existing oil industry infrastructure — eliminating the need to build a whole new biofuels system, the companies said.
In addition, they said, biogasoline has a higher energy content and is more fuel efficient than ethanol, the leading renewable fuel.
"Our products match petroleum gasoline in functionality and performance," said Randy Cortright, Virent's co-founder and executive vice president, in a joint statement by the companies. "Our results to date fully justify accelerating commercialization of this technology."
But the companies were vague on details, declining to disclose the costs of producing the fuel or when it may be available to consumers.
That may be because the challenges of bringing the fuel to market are bigger than the companies suggest, said John Kruse, an agricultural economist and biofuels expert with Waltham, Mass.-based research firm Global Insight.
"I still wonder if there isn't a cost issue," he said.
Graeme Sweeney, Shell's executive vice president of future fuels and CO2, said of that issue: "We believe this technology has the potential to be cost competitive. Otherwise we wouldn't be taking this route."
The venture comes as many nations are mandating the use of biofuels to reduce fossil fuel consumption and curb greenhouse gas emissions.
In December, President Bush signed legislation that calls for a sixfold increase in U.S. ethanol production to 36 billion gallons by 2022.
'An exciting opportunity' Critics charge that a huge expansion of corn-based ethanol production in recent years has driven up food prices globally, is damaging the environment and has limited potential to replace fossil fuels — claims the ethanol industry rejects. Still, a number of U.S. companies are working to make ethanol from non-food sources.
But even with non-food ethanol, there will be costs in equipping the nation's automobiles and fuel distribution infrastructure to handle the highly-corrosive fuel. Biogasoline, Shell and Virent said, has the potential to bypass some of those challenges.
"It's one of those exciting technologies that brings an exciting opportunity to bring a fundamental sea change to the biofuels world," said Michael McAdams, executive director of the Advanced Biofuels Coalition, a Washington group that advocates for next-generation renewable fuels.
To make the fuel, Shell and Virent will use catalysts to convert plant sugars into hydrocarbon molecules like those produced at a petroleum refinery. By contrast, ethanol is made through a fermentation and distillation process that converts starch found in crops like corn into sugar and then to ethanol.
Shell and Virent said they have collaborated for one year as part of a five-year agreement on the biogasoline research program and have exceeded internal goals for yield, product composition and cost. Future efforts will focus on further improving the technology and scaling it up for larger volume commercial production.
Because the fuel can be made from many crops, plants can be built all over the world, but the companies did not identify potential locations for fuel-making facilities. Shell and Virent also are testing their belief that biogasoline likely will reduce some smog-forming tailpipe emissions when compared to ethanol and petroleum gasoline.
Modified engines The U.S. government has tried to clean the air in major cities, including Houston, by requiring gasoline to include 10 percent ethanol, which helps cut emissions. Such a blend can be used in gasoline engines without modifying them. Automakers also sell modified engines that can accommodate a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline called E85.
Shell and Virent suggested such modifications may be unnecessary with biogasoline, saying high blend rates can be used in standard gasoline engines.
Does the ethanol industry view biogasoline as a threat?
No, said Matt Hartwig, spokesman for the Renewable Fuels Association, an ethanol trade group in Washington.
"To address the energy concerns that our nation faces, as well as those around the globe, we are going to need to develop a whole toolbox of solutions," he said.
Nice to kleran that shell has an " executive vice president of future fuels and CO2".
Isn’t Shell also running commercials on their natural gas to gasoline process? The give-away word here is “potential”, which means “we can make anything into gasoline if the price of the gasoline is high enough”.
I haven’t seen them, but I don’t see many commercials.
IMHO, this will be GWB's true legacy to our descedents. If this is allowed to stand and goes full speed ahead, we are monumentally screwed.
That is why the ethanol producers are not worried about competition. We are required by law to use ethanol.
You really know that the mandate is for “renewable” fuels, don’t you?
There is a cheesy movie on their website that takes 10 minutes to explain a natural gas to diesel conversion process they developed.
Germans were doing the same in WWII with natural gas and coal.
‘‘SEC. 30C. ALTERNATIVE FUEL VEHICLE REFUELING PROPERTY
CREDIT.
‘‘(c) QUALIFIED ALTERNATIVE FUEL VEHICLE REFUELING PROPERTY.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in paragraph (2),
the term ‘qualified alternative fuel vehicle refueling property’
has the meaning given to such term by section 179A(d), but
only with respect to any fuel—
‘‘(A) at least 85 percent of the volume of which consists
of one or more of the following: ethanol, natural gas, compressed
natural gas, liquefied natural gas, liquefied petroleum
gas, or hydrogen, or
‘‘(B) any mixture of biodiesel (as defined in section
40A(d)(1)) and diesel fuel (as defined in section 4083(a)(3)),
determined without regard to any use of kerosene and
containing at least 20 percent biodiesel.
Also tax credits are given specific to ethanol production and blending, not generic renewable fuels.
I wonder if some form of "yeast" or microbe has been found that processes this stuff.. WHich is then refined into gasoline.. YA THINK?... Consider all the grass clippings that COULD BE planted and gathered along the nations highways..
I’mn telling you, when they can start making gas out of poop, we’ll have something.
There was a PSA from quite a few years ago that said that if everyone would properly inflate their tires it would save a hugh amoung of oil per year. I feel like it was on the order of a million or millions of barrels.
Well, if they could find a way to turn the methane given off by said “post edible consumer waste” then they very well could since methane is a flammable gas.
Now wouldn’t that be something, companies would come and pump out your septic systems for free once every 6 months so they could sell it to fuel producers.
How about if you give the grass clipping you get a per unit cut in your property taxes or garbage pickup.
The government should not profit from our discovered assets.
Yep, take that series.
Have a Nissan Titan which I drive around 62mph, and keep 41 psi in tires. Have 317 hp and 385 ft/lbs torque and the mileage is so good that if I told you, you would call me a liar--and I would not argue. LOL
You mean like from property taxes?.. gasoline taxes?.. road taxes?.. and death taxes?..
My bet is that all theses corn ethanol plants springing up in the Midwest will be abandoned hulks in 5 years as the ethanol boondoggle goes bust.
Yes we will, we'll have an unlimited source from the House and Senate.
Have a Nissan Titan which I drive around 62mph, and keep 41 psi in tires. Have 317 hp and 385 ft/lbs torque and the mileage is so good that if I told you, you would call me a liar--and I would not argue. LOL
Oh I definitely take it series as a heart attack. I commute to work on a bicycle and on it I really notice when my tires are low. It produces a ton of roll resistance. This also causes me to notice all the cars I bike by with low tires. Not only are people wasting a ton of gas, they are ruining their tires. I use a foot operated tire pump to keep all my tires slightly over inflated knowing they will gradually deflate.
Section 201 (J) The term "renewable fuel" means fuel that is produced from renewable biomass and that is used to replace or reduce the quantity of fossil fuel present in a transportation fuel.
Unless Shell has stumbled upon some wholly novel scientifc process, the production of its new fuel will occur in a facility now producing fuel grade ethanol.
Isn’t 41 psi over recommended inflation? I keep mine between 35 and 38. If 41 is safe I might increase to make up for the decrease in mpg due to 10% ethanol blending going on around here.
The Renewable Fuel Standard requires 36 billion gallons by 2022. 21 billion gallons is required to be obtained from Advanced Biofuel. Advanced Biofuel is defined as renewable fuel, other than ethanol derived from corn starch, that has lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions that are at least 50 percent less than baseline lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions.
Eggzactly!
Whether you love ethanol or are a tool of the evil oil companies, the notion that Congess can command the market is just a little bit ludicrous.
bookmark
I can agree with some form of support for domestic fuel production. I think that would be best accomplished by tariffs on foreign sources; nothing else should be needed.
Read the range of pressure printed on your tire. It can vary between types and manufactures.
However, in rush hour traffic no vehicle outside of hybrids will get good mileage, when one is just sitting there...
Yes, and if we’d only listen to that profound expert, Jimmy Carter, we’d slow down to 55 MPH and save even more!
Sorry, but I have no sympathy for this BS. Easterners and coastal elites might like this “solution”, but in the intermountain west, I have somewhere to go and I want to get there today. I’d be much happier if I could get the speed limits raised to 85 during the day, on dry roads.
Power elites know most Americans have your opinion--so why stop raising crude and gasoline prices, hmmm?
I like and need my truck and I'm not going to trade it for a Korean matchbox by being ignorant or stupid.
thackney, good advice. Must be the tire size I’ve been following recommended pressure on tire. I have been told about a “friend of a friend” getting around 22 mpg. No details on how though. I get about 15 mpg which is as good as my 1993 Jeep Cherokee with more power and 4wd and room for the kids.
On thread topic, I hope this technology pans out it would fit infrastructure as it stands with minimum public impact.
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