Cookie Consent by Free Privacy Policy website Gevo explained why renewable low-carbon biofuels help boats run better
gennaio 27, 2020 - gevo

Gevo explained why renewable low-carbon biofuels help boats run better

Comunicato Stampa disponibile solo in lingua originale. 

Gevo, Inc., is a U.S. based biofuel company that produces renewable fuel to help boats run better while reducing their carbon footprint. 

Gevo’s leadership recognizes that all boaters can benefit from Gevo’s biofuels, which include isobutanol, an oxygenate blendstock that can replace ethanol in gasoline, and renewable biodiesel, which can replace diesel from fossil-fuel sources, or be blended with it. 

Dr. Patrick Gruber, CEO of Gevo, a leading renewable fuels and chemicals manufacturer attended Boot Düsseldorf 2020 for meetings with the marine press and industry leaders. Gruber refers: “The challenge for the near future is the commercialization of Gevo’s isobutanol product for the marine market and other vertical markets such a motorcross or Formula 1. To scale production, consumer demand is required. Yet consumer demand will be increased by education, awareness, and even availability”. 

We feel European consumer awareness is slightly more advanced than what we currently see in North America as a whole. Meetings in Dusseldorf were part of our education and awareness program. The success #gevo is having on the aviation side with Delta and SAS in Europe will certainly allow for continued investment in markets such as marine.

Gevo currently uses its technology to produce isobutanol from renewable feedstocks. This is accomplished using two pieces of proprietary technology: a yeast that has been developed to produce isobutanol and a product recovery technology that continuously removes isobutanol as it is formed. Gevo’s proprietary yeast has been in development and optimization for more than 6 years using the world’s latest biotechnology tools to achieve commercially attractive yields and rates.  

Isobutanol is a colorless liquid, with a sweet odor, that is found naturally in fruits and in commercial ethanol fermentations and in distilled spirits like whiskey. In contrast to ethanol, isobutanol has low water solubility and properties more like a hydrocarbon due to its chemical structure. Isobutanol is commercially attractive because of the numbers of chemicals and fuels markets it can serve and the value it has in those applications.  

The traditional market for isobutanol is solvents, coatings, and chemical intermediates. But because biobased isobutanol has unique fuel properties and qualifies under the Renewable Fuel Standard for a Renewable Identification Number (RIN), there is demand and value in the fuels market. Due to isobutanol’s low water solubility, high octane and low vapor pressure, there has already been overwhelming response from the marine market to isobutanol-gasoline blends. Gevo’s bio-based isobutanol has been officially endorsed by the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) in the U.S. as a drop-in fuel for marine and recreational boat engines.

Gevo’s recent success outside of the marine market, specifically aviation, is allowing the company to scale its technology and commercialization across vertical markets like marine. For example, Gevo recently announced an agreement with Delta for 10 million gallons per year of sustainable aviation fuel, providing the airline with a long-term carbon solution. The airline’s investment in sustainable fuel is only one example of Delta’s work to positively impact the environment, maintain its commitment to carbon neutral growth and reduce emissions 50 percent by 2050.

 

We have such great potential in our business system to break paradigms as to what is possible. We are working to create a business system that works hand-in-hand with agriculture to improve sustainability and lower the carbon emissions,” said Gruber.