Improved Butanol Production from Mutant Bacteria

Filed in archive Energy, Environment and Ecology on August 19, 2009

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Researchers have doubled the production of butanol, a possible alternative to gasoline, by developing a mutant strain of the bacterium Clostridium beijerinckii in a bioreactor containing bundles of polyester fibers. The novel strain can produce 30 grams of butanol per liter of fermentation medium.

"Today, the recovery and purification of butanol account for about 40 percent of the total production cost," explained Yang, "Because we are able to create butanol at higher concentrations, we believe we can lower those recovery and purification costs and make biofuel production more economical."

Currently, a gallon of butanol costs approximately $3.00 - a little more than the current price for a gallon of gasoline.

Applications for patents for the mutant bacterium and the butanol production methodology have been