Americas News
U.S. Coast Guard in Biofuel Bunker Tests
Biofuels maker Gevo Inc. [NASDAQ:GEVO] (Gevo) said Wednesday it is supplying gasoline containing 16.1 percent renewable isobutanol to the U.S Coast Guard for engine testing.
"Gevo's proprietary isobutanol-blended gasoline is truly a drop-in fuel, deliberately designed to be fully compliant with marine fuel specifications, including fit-for-purpose properties," said CEO Patrick Gruber.
"Isobutanol's low-water solvency and non-corrosive characteristics will offer consumers a high-performance, renewable biofuel ideally suited for a wide variety of marine engine applications."
The fuel tests are part of a year-long study on marine engines that started last month under a cooperative research and development agreement between the Coast Guard, Honda, and Mercury.
The tests, which follow a three-month testing effort earlier this year under the cooperative agreement, will be done on two Coast Guard platform boats at the U.S. Coast Guard Training Center in Yorktown, Virginia.
"We are pleased so far with our testing of isobutanol as a potential alternative to ethanol as a blend stock in gasoline for marine applications," said Mike Coleman, project manager at the Coast Guard's research and development center.
Gevo had originally focused its production on ethanol biofuels, but since 2011 it has switched to isobutanol, which has higher energy density and lower volatility and does not present separation issues.
