Virent - Renewable Gasoline Technology
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.