CBC News: Ottawa station 1st in world to sell biofuel from wheat straw

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Ottawa station 1st in world to sell biofuel from wheat straw
Last Updated: Thursday, June 11, 2009 | 2:33 PM ET

CBC News


An Ottawa gas station has become the first in the world to sell a new eco-friendly ethanol for vehicles made from non-food portions of wheat straw.

The Merivale Road Shell station is selling gas blended with 10 per cent cellulosic ethanol, produced locally at Iogen Energy Corp.'s demonstration plant. Privately owned Iogen and Royal Dutch Shell are partners in the plant, which produces 40,000 litres of clean-burning fuel a month.

Cellulosic ethanol is far cleaner than conventional fuels, according to Shell, and a key part of the company's investment and development program in sustainable biofuels.

The station will sell the blended gas for a month. Shell officials say the next step is to open up a manufacturing facility in Saskatchewan to produce more fuel to expand to other Shell stations. .............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2009/06/11/biofuel-shell-wheat-straw.html