Royal Dutch Shell and Virent Energy Systems inc. formed a five-year partnership to produce a gasoline alternative from plant sugars that won’t impact food prices or need modified gasoline engines.

The deal follows a larger trend of oil companies investing in biofuel research. For instance, BP is working with several universities, such as University of California at Berkley and Arizona State University, to transform low-carbon feedstocks into biofuels.

And Chevron has partnered with Weyerhaeuser Co., a paper and wood business, to form Catchlight Energy to explore converting nonfood substances into biofuels.

The sugars used in the deal between Shell and Virent also will come from non-food sources, such as switch grass or wheat straw, but can also use conventional biofuel feedstocks wheat, corn and sugarcane. Food-based feedstocks have come under attack in recent months because of concerns that using food crops will drive up food prices and that deforestation is taking place to make room for new food-based biofuel crops…

…The new “biogasoline” can be used in conventional engines, unlike ethanol, which must be blended with gasoline or used in modified engines.

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