Monday, October 20, 2008

Improving biobutanol production efficiency

Researchers at the USDA Agricultural Research Service are working on more efficient ways to produce celllulosic biobutanol, an alcohol with properties superior to ethanol. They are able to combine some of the steps necessary to make biobutanol from straw.
Banking on Biobutanol: "If scaled up further, the process could yield 307 combined kilograms, or 99 gallons, of acetone, biobutanol, and ethanol from 1 ton of wheat straw. The P260 strain produces a specific ratio of the three chemicals, but efforts are now under way at Peoria to develop genetically modified bacteria that will make only biobutanol."

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