Customers at a Shell service station are the first in the world to fill their tanks with gasoline containing advanced biofuel made from wheat straw.
From June 10 to July 10, the regular gasoline purchased at a Shell service station in Ottawa, Canada will contain 10% cellulosic ethanol. The biofuel is produced locally from non-food raw materials at Iogen Energy Corp.’s demonstration plant, using advanced conversion processes. Iogen and Shell are partners in the plant, which now produces 40,000 liters of fuel per month.
Cellulosic ethanol, as an end fuel, is identical to ethanol, but it can offer up to 90% less lifecycle CO2 emissions than gasoline. It is a key part of Shell’s strategic investment and development program in sustainable biofuels.
“I am excited we are leading the pack in cellulosic ethanol production technology and, with this event, showing what is possible in the future,” said Dr. Graeme Sweeney, Shell’s executive vice president of future fuels and CO2. “While it will be some time before general customers can buy this product at local service stations, we are working with governments to make large-scale production economic.”
“We’re proud of this world-first,” said Brian Foody, CEO of Iogen Corporation. “Building a demo plant is one thing, but you then need to go through the process of operating the new technology at scale, learning, modifying and lowering costs. With the volumes we’re producing today, we’re confident about the future.”
