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U.S. Department of Energy Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy

Renewable Gasoline

Renewable gasoline (also called green or drop-in gasoline) is a fuel produced from biomass sources through a variety of biological, thermal, and chemical processes. The fuel is chemically identical to petroleum gasoline and meets the same ASTM D4814 specification. Renewable gasoline can be used in existing engines and infrastructure. Renewable gasoline is not a commercially used fuel in the U.S. at this time, as there is an emphasis on electrification of the light-duty market.

Production

Renewable gasoline can be produced from various biomass sources. These include lipids (such as vegetable oils, animal fats, greases, and algae) and cellulosic material (such as crop residues, woody biomass, and dedicated energy crops). Researchers are exploring a variety of methods to produce renewable gasoline which include:

  • Traditional hydrotreating—Used in petroleum refineries, hydrotreating involves reacting the feedstock (lipids) with hydrogen under elevated temperatures and pressures in the presence of a catalyst. Commercial plants currently use this technology.

  • Biological sugar upgrading—This pathway uses a biochemical deconstruction process, similar to that used with cellulosic ethanol with the addition of organisms that convert sugars to hydrocarbons.

  • Catalytic conversion of sugars—This pathway involves a series of catalytic reactions to convert a carbohydrate stream into hydrocarbon fuels.

  • Gasification—During this process, biomass is thermally converted to syngas and catalytically converted to hydrocarbon fuels.

  • Pyrolysis—This pathway involves the chemical decomposition of organic materials at elevated temperatures in the absence of oxygen. The process produces a liquid pyrolysis oil that can be upgraded to hydrocarbon fuels, either in a standalone process or as a feedstock for co-feeding with crude oil into a standard petroleum refinery.

  • Hydrothermal processing—This process uses high pressure and moderate temperature to initiate chemical decomposition of biomass or wet waste materials to produce an oil that may be catalytically upgraded to hydrocarbon fuels.

Benefits

Renewable gasoline offers many benefits, including:

  • Engine and infrastructure compatibility—Renewable gasoline is chemically identical and meets the same ASTM D4814 specification as petroleum gasoline, allowing its use in existing vehicles and infrastructure.

  • Increased energy security—Renewable gasoline can be produced domestically from a variety of feedstocks and contribute to U.S. job creation.

  • Fewer emissions—Carbon dioxide captured by growing feedstocks reduces overall greenhouse gas emissions by balancing carbon dioxide released from burning renewable gasoline.

  • More flexibility—Renewable gasoline is a direct replacement allowing for multiple products from various feedstocks and production technologies.