Recent advances on biobutanol production

Abstract

Abstract Recent studies have shown that butanol is a potential gasoline replacement that can also be blended in significant quantities with conventional diesel fuel. However, biotechnological production of butanol has some challenges such as low butanol titer, high cost feedstocks and product inhibition. The present work reviewed the technical and economic feasibility of the main technologies available to produce biobutanol. The latest studies integrating continuous fermentation processes with efficient product recovery and the use of mathematical models as tools for process scale-up, optimization and control are presented.