Biogasoline

Structure and properties

Biodiesel Structure

Similar to other gasoline structures, biodiesel is built from a foundation of hydrocarbons. BG100, or 100% biogasoline, is formulated so that it can immediately be used as a drop-in substitute for petroleum-derived gasoline in any conventional gasoline engine, unlike ethanol. Additionally, biogasoline's chemical similarities allow it to be fully miscible with regular gasoline and can be distributed in the same fueling infrastructure as its properties match traditional gasoline from petroleum. Biodiesel works within today's engines, car systems, and corresponding products and requires a small percentage of octane booster to match gasoline.

Ethanol Structure

In order to produce Ethanol, it is likely to engage in a process of fermentation. Most forms of ethanol found within the United States are corn starch or plant starch and sugars, which then need to be metabolized by microorganisms in order to produce ethanol. These microorganisms include varying bacteria and yeast. Ethanol fuel (E85) requires specialized fuel systems and has lower combustion energy and corresponding fuel economy.

Comparison of biogasoline to other common fuels

Production

Biogasoline Production

In late March, 2010, the world's first biogasoline demonstration plant was started in Madison, WI by Virent Energy Systems, Inc. In 2001, Virent discovered and developed a technique called Aqueous Phase Reforming (APR). APR includes processes such as reforming to generate hydrogen, dehydrogenation of alcohols/hydrogenation of carbonyls, deoxygenation reactions, hydrogenolysis and cyclization.

The input for APR is a carbohydrate solution created from plant material, and the product is a mixture of chemicals and oxygenated hydrocarbons. From there, the materials go through further conventional chemical processing to yield the final result: a mixture of non-oxygenated hydrocarbons. These hydrocarbons are the exact hydrocarbons found in petroleum fuels, which is why today's cars do not need to be altered to run on biogasoline. The only difference is in origin.

Biodiesel Production

Diesel fuel is made up of linear hydrocarbons. These are long straight carbon atom chains which differ from the shorter, branched hydrocarbons that make up common gasoline.

In a 2014 experiment, held at the University of California, Davis, researchers used a feedstock of levulinic acid to create biogasoline. Levulinic acid is derived from cellulose material, such as corn stalks, straw or other plant waste and does not have to be fermented. The fuel-making process is reportedly inexpensive and offers yields of over 60 percent.

Research

Research is conducted in both academic and private sectors.

Academic

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University has been researching the production of stable biogasoline in current oil refineries. Their focus surrounded bio-oil's shelf-life. The use of catalysts was applied in order to remove impurities from the processed plant sugars. The researchers extended the time from three months to over a year.

Iowa State University researchers use a type of fermentation in their practices. First, they form a gaseous mixture and then pyrolyze it. The result of the pyrolysis is bio-oil, of which the sugar-rich portion is fermented and distilled to create water and ethanol, while the high-acetate portion is separated into biogasoline, water, and biomass.

Princeton University researchers within José Avalos's lab presented new glowing biofuel in January 2022. This process presents a tool in yeast strain separation; instead of fermentation and curation of a few cultures over a 24 to 48 hour time period, thousands of yeast stains are being produced each minute.

Private

Virent Energy Systems, Inc., in conjunction with Marathon Petroleum, has developed a technique to turn plant sugars from wheat straw, corn stalks, and sugarcane pulp into biogasoline. The sugars are converted into hydrocarbons similar to those in regular gasoline by the use of catalysts.

History of Biofuels

Consumption and Production of biofuels has played an essential role in the gasoline economy since the beginning of the 1980s. Most recently, companies and organizations, such as the federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) Program and California's Low Carbon Fuel Storage have set initiatives to promote the use of biofuels and reduce fossil fuel-based gasoline. Moreover, in 2016, the Oregon Legislature enacted the Clean Fuels Program (CPF)-managed by the Department of Environmental Quality Commission-and Washington, their own program in January, 2023. Other locations known to have created their own clean fuel program include California and British Columbia.

Economic viability and future

One of the major problems facing the economic viability of biogasoline is the high up-front cost. Another, tax relief: The government is providing tax relief for ethanol fuels but has yet to offer tax relief for biogasoline. If biogasoline became a serious alternative, a large percentage of existing arable land would be converted to grow crops solely for biogasoline. This could decrease the amount of land used to farm food for human consumption and may decrease overall feedstock.

While there may be problems facing the economic viability of biogasoline, the partnership between Royal Dutch Shell and Virent Energy Systems, Inc., a bioscience firm based in Madison, WI, to further research biogasoline is an encouraging sign for biogasoline's future. Companies are developing new approaches: taking triglyceride inputs and, through deoxygenation process and reforming (cracking, isomerizing, aromatizing, and producing cyclic molecules), producing biogasoline. This biogasoline is intended to match the chemical, kinetic, and combustion characteristics of its petroleum counterpart, but with much higher octane levels. Others are pursuing similar approaches based on hydrotreating or using woody biomass and enzymatic processes.

Moreover, nations are enacting policies that increase the use of biogasoline. This helps restrain the use of fossil fuels and create more energy independence. Current efforts by this partnership are focused on improving the technology and making it available for large-scale production.