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131 comments on Whither Cellulosic Ethanol?

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eric blair on August 17, 2006 - 7:44am

Butanol can be produced by fermentation of biomass. The process uses the bacterium Clostridium acetobutylicum, also known as the Weizmann organism. It was Chaim Weizmann who first used this bacteria for the production of acetone from starch (with the main use of acetone being the making of Cordite) in 1916. The butanol was a by-product of this fermentation (twice as much butanol was produced). The process also creates a recoverable amount of H2 and a number of other by-products: acetic, lactic and propionic acids, acetone, isopropanol and ethanol.
(So it is "new" like most of the chemical industry)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butanol_fuel

The manipulation of the pH levels to shift the ABE reactions to buytol alcohol is what is new. (Acetone, Butanol,Ethanol)

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Robert Rapier on August 17, 2006 - 9:48am

The manipulation of the pH levels to shift the ABE reactions to buytol alcohol is what is new.

Yes, I should have been more clear in my wording. Many chemicals have been made from biological processes long before they were made from purely chemical processes, but the claimed ability to make it in commercial quantities from biomass is new.

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eric blair on August 17, 2006 - 10:15am

It was made commercially that way before the use of oil-derived hydrocarbons.

The new patent is based on keeping the biological portion in the butynol side of the reaction.

(I looked up their patent in the past....I don't want to spend the time looking it up again, so perhaps someone here will)

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Robert Rapier on August 17, 2006 - 10:42am

No need to look up the patent. They summarize the history of butanol, with links to additional information (and to the patent) at http://www.butanol.com/.

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