Renewable Gasoline

Virent’s patented technology enables the production of gasoline from bio-based feedstocks. Our BioForming® process produces the key aromatic molecules and paraffins that are the building blocks of gasoline. Our technology can use a wide variety of both cellulosic and conventional plant sugars, enabling production of a sustainable biogasoline that is similar to its existing petroleum-derived counterpart, as shown in the molecular fingerprints below.

Virent’s fuels can be “dropped-in” to the existing petroleum infrastructure, such as pipelines, tanks, pumps and engines of all kinds.

Benefits of Virent’s technology for gasoline include:

  • Virent’s fuel features significantly higher energy content than ethanol, with an octane rating and energy content above premium petroleum-derived gasoline.
  • Our fuel contains identical molecules to those found in petroleum-derived gasoline allowing very high blend levels compared to ethanol and other renewable fuels that introduce new and different molecules into the gasoline pool.
  • The utilization of renewable feedstocks in conjunction with efficient processing allows for Virent’s gasoline to reduce greenhouse gases versus petroleum-based fuels.

Virent gasoline has been tested extensively including in a successful ten car ‘no harm’ study in the UK conducted by Shell. Virent gasoline has also been used in F1 competition by the Scuderia Ferrari Formula 1 team. Virent gasoline has also received EPA Part 79 registration.

Virent’s renewable gasoline fuel being used by the Scuderia Ferrari race team
Virent’s renewable gasoline fuel being used by the Scuderia Ferrari race team

No-Harms Testing demonstrated equivalent performance to petroleum fuel
No-Harms Testing demonstrated equivalent performance to petroleum fuel