Aug 7 2010
Gevo, a private company manufacturing renewable chemicals and complex biofuels, have successfully produced isobutanol from fermentable sugars obtained from cellulosic biomass.
The company has received $1.8 million as grant from the U.S. Department of Energy and Agriculture’s Biomass R&D Program for the project. The grant also sustains the current cellulosic biocatalyst development of Gevo that is entirely accredited from Cargill.
Isobutanol is a natural four-carbon alcohol that is available in food and other alcoholic drinks, and used roughly 40% in petrochemical and 100% in hydrocarbon fuel applications. This product is also directly used as a solution, and changed to isobutylene as a raw material for the production of plastic and fiber. Isobutanol also can be employed directly as a gasoline mix material and as a structuring block in the manufacture of hydrocarbons available in products such as gasoline and other diesel fuels derived from petroleum. Gevo considers the introduction of isobutanol, will pave the way for the renewable manufacture of polypropylene, pet, polystyrene and rubber.
Dr. Patrick Gruber, CEO, said the announcement amply testifies the capabilities of Gevo in producing a biocatalyst for use in cellulosic biorefineries and when the celllulosic ethanol industry becomes fully functional such companies will have the option to manufacture isobutanol in place of ethanol.
Source: http://www.gevo.com