Companies Working on Producing BioButanol

Who are the players involved in production of BioButanol?

The international list of companies pursuing BioButanol as a renewable fuel continues to grow every month. Below is a table with some of the companies appearing in publications this year. If you know of a company which I missed, please send me details.  The companies are listed in no particular order.

Sovert

-UK based company focused on n-butanol production via fermentation

-Feedstock is spoiled and waste food from domestic and commercial sources

Butamax

-Joint venture: BP and Dupont

-Process utilizes the fermentation of corn

-Will alter existing ethanol plants for isobutanol production

-Commercialize butanol by 2012-2013

-Use of genetically engineered yeast

- Will extend reach to brazil in 2013 with the construction of a butanol plant 

Gevo

-Plans to modify existing ethanol plants for butanol production

-Process yields isobutanol

-Uses a novel biocatalyst for reduction of by-product creation, yielding more butanol in a continuous process

-Butanol produced in a continuous process rather than a batch process

-Biomass of corn, sugar, and beets for butanol production

-Receiving funding from Cargill and Total.  Filed for IPO in August 2010.

-Use of a modified strain of E.Coli

Cathay Industrial Biotech

-Facility for biobutanol production via fermentation located in Jilin Province of Northeast China

-Produces and sells n-butanol

-Process involves anaerobic fermentation of biomass

-Current biomass includes corn

Cobalt Technologies

-Butanol produced via a continuous fermentation process

-Clostridium microorganism used for butanol production

-Developed an advanced monitoring system for increased production

-Development of vapor compression distillation allows for the removal of alcohol during fermentation, increasing the output rate

-Biomass of wood pulp and sugar beets for production

-A very detailed business approach is available which will promote product efficiently for funding

-Process yields the more valuable n-butanol, which can be used for the production of a variety of solvents and fuels

-Intends to build new plants for butanol production

Green Biologics

-Plans to bring cost of n-butanol fermentation comparable to petroleum based butanol production within 4 years

-Heavily focused on metabolic engineering of Clostrida and Geobacillus to produce n-butanol efficiently

-Looking a variety of feedstocks as starting materials.

Butyl Fuel LLC

-Operates a pilot facility to produce n-butanol via fermentation

-Working on n-butanol for over a decade

-Won grants on developing n-butanol 

Russian Technologies- Russian State Owned company 

-Plans to open new plants in 2011 and 2012

-Uses wood pulp and other wood byproducts for butanol production via pyrolysis

Plantaonix

-Use photosynthetic microorganisms known as PhytoConverters

-PhytoConverters convert solar energy rather than biomass

-Also use large amounts of CO₂ and H₂O

-Novel system costs less, produces more biobutanol, and greatly reduces greenhouse gases

 W2 Energy

-Uses an altered pyrolysis system which converts biomass into syngas

-Pyrolysis system employs a low temperature non-thermal plasma-based reactor

-Converts syngas into useable fuel via engineered catalysts.

-Company also uses a rotary steam engine which converts excess process heat into electricity

-Electricity can be used to power all plant operations, greatly reducing cost

ZeaChem

-Uses thermochemical and chemical route to breakdown biomass.  Their process does not require cellulosic feedstocks.

-After thermochemical processing, the smaller molecules are fermented via yeast resulting in higher carbon efficiency

-Process results in ethanol, butanol and other commercially important bioproducts

 Energy Quest

-Utilizes novel Pyrolysis Steam Reformer, or PyStR, to convert biomass to H₂ 

-System involves direct contact between biomass and calcined lime which releases pure H₂ 

-Almost all CO₂ is reabsorbed by the calcined lime

-Biomass includes feed stocks, coal, and wood chips

-System also uses fluidized bed gasifier

 Butalco GmBH

-Employs modified yeasts for butanol production from biomass

-Biomass consists strictly of lignocellulose

-Engineered yeast ferment lignocellulose to produce butanol which must then be purified

-Seeking partnerships to complete other parts of butanol production such as purification and distribution of butanol

Laxmi Organics

-Only press releases have been found

Eastman Chemicals by purchasing Tetravitae Bioscience

-Uses patented Clostridium beijerinckii to convert biomass into n-butanol

-Method involves genetic engineering to alter Clostridium strain results in a more stable microorganism

-Patented microorganism has higher selectivity towards butanol production and displays increased product yield

-Fermentation is focused on reducing water footprint

-Reduced water usage results in much higher efficiencies and lower costs

METabolic EXplorer

-Process relies on the fermentation of biomass

-Biomass consists of various feedstocks and hemicelluloses

-Outdated info

UCLA

-University researchers have developed a microorganism which converts CO₂ to biobutanol

-This removes the need for feed stocks or other biomass

-Organisms release isobutyraldehyde gas which is easily converted into butanol

Dow, Celanese, Eastman and BASF are large producers of butanol from petroleum feedstock. 

 *Butamax and Gevo are trademarks of Butamax and Gevo respectively.