Advantages of Biobutanol
Butanol is being seen as a more superior alternative fuel than ethanol due to its more favourable chemical / physical properties. Butanol has clear advantages such as lower vapour pressure (butanol 5,6 hPa, ethanol 58,5 hPa) and higher flashpoint (butanol 36oC, ethanol 12oC). Butanol is less miscible with water and far less corrosive so it can be shipped and distributed through existing infrastructure (pipelines and filling stations). Butanol can replace fossil fuels up to 100% without modifying the engine and can be blended with diesel / biodiesel and burned in diesel engines.
Yeasts as production organisms for biobutanol have decisive advantages compared to bacteria: Yeasts have GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) status and are easy to genetically modify. They are well established, highly robust, and the production process is easier to control. As ethanol producers are used to working with yeast, it is much more probable that the ethanol production plants in Brazil, Europe or North America will use yeasts rather than bacteria should they switch from ethanol to butanol.
Approach of BUTALCO
BUTALCO uses a special technology to modify the yeasts for butanol production. BUTALCO is working together with partners to develop a competitive biobutanol production process using lignocellulose as feedstock. The development covers the whole process chain including all production steps from feedstock supply to engineering/construction and distribution.
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