>OIL giant Shell and Virent Energy Systems (a six-year-old American biofuels start-up) have formed a joint venture to convert plant sugars directly into petrol, instead of ethanol. The venture could herald the availability of new biofuels that can be used at high blend rates in standard engines. This could eliminate the need for special infrastructure, new engine designs or blending equipment.
Virent's technology uses catalysts to convert plant sugars into hydrocarbon molecules like those produced at a petroleum refinery. These molecules have higher energy content than ethanol and deliver better fuel efficiency. The sugars can be sourced from non-food sources such as corn stover, switchgrass, wheat straw and sugarcane pulp.
This article was first published in The Straits Times on Apr 5, 2008.
