Advances in Bioenergy

2. Butanol Production Routes

Butanol can be produced through either chemical route (from petroleum) or microbial fermentation route. After Pasteur reported that butyl alcohol was a direct product of anaerobic conversion of lactic acid and calcium lactate in 1862, Acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation was exploited as the main route in industrial butanol production in the early 20th century. However, due to the increased costs of starch and sugar substrates (corn and molasses), ABE fermentation declined continuously and was replaced by petrochemical routes for butanol production since 1950s. In recent years, high crude oil price and increasing concerns on global warming lead to renewed interests in biobutanol production from renewable carbon ...