EPA Approves Registration of Vertimass Green Gasoline Blends

(Vertimass) VertiGas20, a renewable gasoline product, is now registered to be sold as 20% blends in conventional gasoline to help mitigate transportation carbon emissions -- Vertimass is pleased to announce that the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved registration for blending up to 20% of Vertimass green gasoline with conventional gasoline. This new renewable gasoline product, VertiGas20, is made from renewable ethanol by novel Vertimass Consolidated Alcohol Deoxygenation and Oligomerization (CADO) technology and can substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions from existing cars and other gasoline powered engines.

"VertiGas20 represents a significant step toward producing more renewable fuels, compatible with the existing infrastructure, which will help mitigate climate change," explained Vertimass Chief Operating Officer Dr. John Hannon. "By producing green gasoline at current and new ethanol production facilities and stand-alone plants, Vertimass will be able to provide significant volumes of sustainable gasoline that help meet the climate change goals of the EU and U.S. The Vertimass CADO technology together with electric vehicles can help move us toward a sustainable future."

VertiGas20 is a new generation of fuel which can be used in current gasoline vehicles (approximately 340 million in the U.S. alone) without any engine modifications. The renewable component in VertiGas20 comes from biomass derived ethanol, potentially increasing ethanol demand five-fold from the current 14 billion gallons to 70 billion gallons in U.S. alone. This greater demand will create hundreds of new jobs in the ethanol production industry. Since every gallon reduction in fossil fuel use reduces carbon dioxide (CO2) emission by about 20 pounds, a dramatic reduction in greenhouse gases is possible through eliminating approximately 560 billion pounds of new CO2 from accumulating in the atmosphere every year.

Vertimass President and CEO Dr. Charles Wyman noted, "Vertimass CADO technology offers an opportunity to cut greenhouse gas emissions in existing vehicles without waiting for their retirement. Additionally, the speed with which VertiGas20 production can be ramped up is vital if the world is to meet the critical need to immediately mitigate the severity of global climate events."

Vertimass Chairperson William Shopoff added, "This approval is a key step in commercializing the Vertimass technology, with over a dozen facilities worldwide contemplated in our rollout over the next several years. This opens a marketplace that could replace up to approximately 28 billion gallons per year of gasoline in the United States alone."

About Vertimass Technology
Vertimass technology sustainably produces vital jet, gasoline, and diesel fuels and chemicals from ethanol, methanol, and other renewable alcohols with high yields that can dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions compared to sourcing these products from petroleum. The simplicity of the Vertimass single reaction system results in low capital and operating costs. The compatibility of Vertimass fuels and chemicals with the existing infrastructure makes possible production of low-cost, low-carbon fuels for everything, everyone, and everywhere. This Consolidated Alcohol Deoxygenation and Oligomerization (CADO) technology originated from Oak Ridge National Laboratories operated by UT-Battelle, with Vertimass obtaining worldwide exclusive rights in 2014 and advancing the technology for commercial applicability.

Through a simple bolt-on of Vertimass technology, existing and future ethanol producers can break through the blend wall that currently limits ethanol use in gasoline. And the low cost Vertimass bolt-on opens up entirely new jet, diesel, and chemical markets. In addition, application of Vertimass technology to produce fuels and chemicals from methanol and other alcohols made through capture of carbon dioxide from ethanol production, electrical power generation, cement manufacture, and other operations can further reduce greenhouse gas footprints. Beyond lowering carbon footprints, jet, diesel, and gasoline fuels and chemicals derived from renewable alcohols can improve strategic security, rural economies, and international competitiveness.

About Vertimass LLC
Vertimass LLC is based in Irvine, California with the mission to develop and widely license breakthrough technologies that substantially expand production of sustainable transportation fuels and chemicals that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve energy security and domestic economies. Commercialization of proprietary Vertimass technology can overcome the blend wall that currently impedes expansion of ethanol production from multiple sources of biomass, and open up large new markets for aircraft and heavy-duty vehicle fuels and for chemicals not currently amenable to ethanol or other alcohols. For more information, visit http://www.vertimass.com/. READ MORE

Excerpt from NGT News: VertiBlue Fuels LLC, a 50/50 joint venture between Blue Biofuels Inc. and Vertimass, will start producing this renewable gasoline as one of the first products coming from the production capacity that VertiBlue Fuels will realize.

VertiGas20 can be used in current gasoline vehicles (approximately 340 million in the U.S. alone) without any engine modifications. This will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles and other gasoline-powered engines.

Blue Biofuels is planning to produce cellulosic biofuels, which will further reduce greenhouse gas emissions either when the cellulosic ethanol is used as direct blend in fuel or if it is converted into gasoline for use in transportation.

“VertiGas20 represents a significant step toward producing more renewable fuels, compatible with the existing infrastructure, which will help mitigate climate change,” says Dr. John Hannon, Vertimass chief operating officer.

“An interesting factor is that this enables gasoline vehicles to become more green without replacing them with electric vehicles, thereby offering more choices for the green consumer,” adds Ben Slager, Blue Biofuels CEO and chairman. “Moreover, when Blue Biofuels’ produces cellulosic ethanol with its Cellulose-to-Sugar (CTS) technology, this will add significant further CO2 reduction to the VertiGas20 fuel by providing cellulosic ethanol, with a higher carbon reduction rating, as feedstock to the VertiGas20 production. This will be a winning combination for the environment and for the company.”

The CTS process can convert virtually any plant material — grasses, forestry products, and agricultural waste such as sugarcane bagasse and wheat straw — into sugars and lignin. Sugars are subsequently processed into biofuels, such as ethanol and sustainable aviation fuel, and lignin may be further processed into a variety of products. The CTS process is a patented and proprietary technology wholly owned by Blue Biofuels. READ MORE