ARS | Publication request: Butanol Production from Agricultural Biomass

Submitted to: Food Biotechnology
Publication Type: Book/Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: November 4, 2004
Publication Date: October 1, 2005
Citation: Qureshi, N., Blaschek, H.P. 2006. Butanol production from agricultural biomass. In: Shetty, K., Paliyath, G., Pometto, A., Levin, R.E., editors. Food Biotechnology. Boca Raton, FL: Taylor & Francis. p. 525-549.

Technical Abstract: This is a summary of an invited chapter (Butanol production from agricultural biomass) to be published in "Food Biotechnology." Butanol is an excellent fuel which can be produced from various agricultural products, byproducts, and waste products. These include corn, corn fiber, potato and potato waste, whey permeate, molasses, fruit industry waste, wheat straw, rice husk, corn stalk, etc. The chapter details suitable substrates that can be used effectively using various butanol producing cultures (including Clostribium acetobutylicum, C. beijerinskii, etc.). It also details various upstream processing steps that are necessary prior to butanol fermentation. In addition, technologies that may make butanol fermentation economically viable have been discussed. Other aspects such as recovery of butanol using economically viable techniques, process integration, genetics of C. beijerinskii, and sugar transport in butanol producing culture(s) have also been discussed.