A Shell service station in Ottawa, Canada became “the first place in the world to buy gasoline blended with advanced biofuel.” The pilot program is slotted to last for a month and will use a 90% petroleum, 10% cellulosic ethanol mix brewed at a local demonstration plant.

Shell claims the cellulosic biofuel, which was produced from non-food raw materials, has 90% less lifecycle carbon dioxide emissions than gasoline, but thinks “cost-competitive advanced biofuels in substantial quantities … are five to ten years away.” Shell and Iogen, who share ownership of the 40,000-liter-a-month demo plant, plan to make a final investment decision on a 70-million-liter-a-year plant within the next eight to twelve months.

This article was edited after publication by the author on 12 Jun 2009. View changes.