Gevo's renewable isobutanol suitable for blends over 16% in marine engines

Renewable isobutanol produced by biofuels company Gevo can be used in marine engines of up to 16.1% without deterioration of engine or boat performance.

This was the conclusion following four years of tests on the company's isobutanol by a consortium of organisations from the recreational marine industry. The tests were performed in collaboration with the National Manufacturers Association (NMMA), the American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC) and several engine and boat manufacturers across the industry. The testing was also supported by the US Department of Energy (DoE), Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), and Argonne National Laboratory (ANL).

The consortium testing a number of engine technologies from several engine and boat manufacturers, and included measurements of gaseous and particulate engine exhaust emissions, combustion analysis, cold start, run ability, durability and more. No engine exhaust emissions failures, durability issues or run ability issues were experienced during the multi-year test programme.

'This data reconfirms that the properties of isobutanol make it an excellent renewable blendstock for the marine market,' comments Dr Patrick Gruber, Gevo's CEO.