Royal Dutch Shell has started selling a blend of gasoline and 10% cellulosic ethanol at a gas station for the first time in Ottawa or even in the world. The oil company and Ottawa-based Iogen Energy Corp. are partners in a plant that produces 40,000 litres a month of cellulosic ethanol from the non-food portions of plants. Unlike other biofuels, this fuel does not compete with food sources for land as it is made from corn husks and corn stalks as well as straw, materials that would normally be used for animal bedding or left to rot in a field.
Shell and government officials including Transport Minister John Baird launched the fuel Wednesday at a Shell station on 1548 Merivale Road. The fuel is a blend of regular gas and 10 per cent cellulosic ethanol. The fuel will be available only for a trial period of one month on the location. The federal government has mandated that all gasoline sold in Canada contain five per cent renewable fuels by 2010 and diesel contain two per cent by 2012.
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