Two multinational corporations have taken the next step toward commercialization of a grain-based fuel they believe will blow ethanol out of the water.
DuPont and BP formed a new business entity in July called Butamax Advanced Biofuels, which will produce and market next generation biofuels.
The first product it will commercialize is biobutanol, a grain-based fuel DuPont and BP have been researching and testing since 2006.
The companies claim biobutanol offers distinct advantages over ethanol. It has a higher energy density, leading to 25 percent better fuel economy than ethanol.
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It can be blended at higher rates with gasoline. U.S. regulations allow for 16 percent biobutanol blends compared to 10 percent for ethanol, which means there will be more renewable ingredients in the fuel and further reductions in greenhouse gases.
The fuel is said to be less susceptible to separation in water than ethanol and can be blended, stored and distributed without any modifications to existing petroleum industry infrastructure. It can also be transported through pipelines, unlike ethanol, which moves by truck or rail.
Biobutanol is produced from the same agricultural crops as ethanol, such as sugar cane, corn, and wheat and will eventually be produced from cellulosic feedstocks such as fast-growing grasses and corn stalks.
Researchers in Ohio say they have developed a strain of the bacterium used in the production of the fuel that will double output and drive production costs below $3 US per gallon.
The fuel has been tested in real vehicles covering a distance of 2.1 million kilometres of road. The tests have shown that the fuel does not affect vehicle performance at a 16 percent blend with gasoline.
DuPont and BP plan to be operating their demonstration facility in the United Kingdom in 2010. The first commercial plant is expected to be operational by 2013.
DuPont was contacted for this story but was unable to comment on how many facilities Butamax will build, what size they will be or where they will be located.
Butamax will license the technology in addition to building its own production facilities. Company officials have said it would be easy to convert existing ethanol plants into bio-butanol facilities.
Two other U.S. ventures are developing the technology, according to Biofuels Digest, a daily newsletter.
