VertiGas20, a renewable gasoline product, is now registered to be sold as 20% blends in conventional gasoline to help mitigate transportation carbon emissions.
VertiBlue Fuels LLC, a 50/50 joint venture between Blue Biofuels Inc. and Vertimass, will start producing this renewable gasoline as one of the first products coming from the production capacity that VertiBlue Fuels will realize.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved registration for blending up to 20% of green gasoline with conventional gasoline. This new renewable gasoline product, VertiGas20, is made from renewable ethanol by the joint venture’s licensed technology from Vertimass, its Consolidated Alcohol Deoxygenation and Oligomerization (CADO) technology.
VertiGas20 can be used in current gasoline vehicles (approximately 340 million in the U.S. alone) without any engine modifications. This will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles and other gasoline-powered engines.
Blue Biofuels is planning to produce cellulosic biofuels, which will further reduce greenhouse gas emissions either when the cellulosic ethanol is used as direct blend in fuel or if it is converted into gasoline for use in transportation.
“VertiGas20 represents a significant step toward producing more renewable fuels, compatible with the existing infrastructure, which will help mitigate climate change,” says Dr. John Hannon, Vertimass chief operating officer.
“An interesting factor is that this enables gasoline vehicles to become more green without replacing them with electric vehicles, thereby offering more choices for the green consumer,” adds Ben Slager, Blue Biofuels CEO and chairman. “Moreover, when Blue Biofuels’ produces cellulosic ethanol with its Cellulose-to-Sugar (CTS) technology, this will add significant further CO2 reduction to the VertiGas20 fuel by providing cellulosic ethanol, with a higher carbon reduction rating, as feedstock to the VertiGas20 production. This will be a winning combination for the environment and for the company.”
The CTS process can convert virtually any plant material — grasses, forestry products, and agricultural waste such as sugarcane bagasse and wheat straw — into sugars and lignin. Sugars are subsequently processed into biofuels, such as ethanol and sustainable aviation fuel, and lignin may be further processed into a variety of products. The CTS process is a patented and proprietary technology wholly owned by Blue Biofuels.
