BIOBUTANOL WHEN?

"Better than ethanol" is not a big pitch.

Better than ethanol: Biobutanol, the plantbased fuel similar to ethanol, promises more power and less transport headaches. But can it be done cheaply enough?
Steve Hargreaves, April 3, 2007 (CNN Money)

WHO
BP and DuPont

WHAT
Biobutanol, a fuel produced by fermentation of organic matter. Like cellulosic ethanol, large scale production is dependent on identifying an enzyme which makes the fermentation process economically viable.

WHEN
A pilot program is in the immediate offing, hopefully this year, according Phillip New, BP biofuels head. There is speculation about widespread availability by the end of the decade.

WHERE
Right now, this is a dream in the laboratories of the BP/DuPont scientists at work on it.

WHY
Biobutanol is far more efficient than corn-based ethanol and approaches the efficiency of gasoline. Unlike ethanol, it does not absorb water so is therefore does not require new pipeline infrastructure for transport.

QUOTES
- "[Biobutanol] answers a lot of the questions ethanol can't," said [Reese Tisdale, a project consultant at the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Emerging Energy Research]. "In my mind, it makes more sense."
- “The production of biobutanol is nearly identical to ethanol. They both ferment a food crop to yield a fuel. The only difference is the enzyme. And like cellulosic ethanol, which can be made using any plant matter, not just food crops - finding the right enzyme at the right price is the trick.”