Biogasoline idea refined by Dutch Shell, U.S. firm

Houston Chronicle ^ | March 26, 2008, 11:15PM | BRETT CLANTON

[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.

[steelyourfaith]

" 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."

Nice to kleran that shell has an " executive vice president of future fuels and CO2".

 

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[count-your-change]

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”.

[thackney]

I haven’t seen them, but I don’t see many commercials.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

In December, President Bush signed legislation that calls for a sixfold increase in U.S. ethanol production to 36 billion gallons by 2022.

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.

[thackney]

That is why the ethanol producers are not worried about competition. We are required by law to use ethanol.

[kcm.org]

Yet, some trusted expert assert that if 30%-40% of Americans would simply slow down to 60-65mph on the highways, and stagger the times people go to and get off work, oil prices would plummet to less than %50/bbl.

[Mr. Lucky]

You really know that the mandate is for “renewable” fuels, don’t you?

[Yo-Yo]

Isn’t Shell also running commercials on their natural gas to gasoline process?

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.

[thackney]

By the definitions of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, this does not qualify as an alternative fuel.

‘‘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.

[hosepipe]

Gasoline made from grass cuttings sounds fairly efficient.. during spring summer and fall.. if trucks were provided to gather the grass clippings from home owners and highway maintenance people.. FOR FREE.. What was a pain in the ass could become gasoline.. A renewable resource.. And maybe the end of the grass stuff could become fertilizer..

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..

[Thebaddog]

I’mn telling you, when they can start making gas out of poop, we’ll have something.

[DungeonMaster]

Yet, some trusted expert assert that if 30%-40% of Americans would simply slow down to 60-65mph on the highways, and stagger the times people go to and get off work, oil prices would plummet to less than %50/bbl.

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.

[gjones77]

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.

[longtermmemmory]

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.

[count-your-change]

A quick check of internet sites-Shell says it takes ten thousand cubic feet of gas to make one barrel of oil. They have built or will build plant in Qatar to use gas there.
I wonder if Shell is trying to mount a challenge to ‘AD M’ for a piece of the gasoline additive’s pie?

[kcm.org]

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.

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

[hosepipe]

[ The government should not profit from our discovered assets. ]

You mean like from property taxes?.. gasoline taxes?.. road taxes?.. and death taxes?..

[The Great RJ]

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.

[anoldafvet]

"I’mn telling you, when they can start making gas out of poop, we’ll have something."

Yes we will, we'll have an unlimited source from the House and Senate.