(165b) Biobutanol R&D In China

Fermentative production of acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) was initiated from the beginning of the twentieth century. It was once one of the largest fermentation process, ranking the second in scale next to ethanol fermentation by yeast. In the latter half of twentieth century, fermentative ABE production declined because of its weak economic competitiveness compared with the petroleum-based processes. Recently, the increasing crisis of petroleum and environmental pollution bring scientists and industries back to the ABE production derived from biomass, especially to the microbial butanol production. China is one of the few countries, which maintained the fermentative ABE production for several decades. Starting from 2006, several newly established ABE fermentation plants, with the capacity amount to over 300,000 tons, have resumed production in China. We will discuss recent progress on biobutanol in China, including government policy and funding, technical breakthrough (genetic tools, metabolic engineering, systems biology, process optimization), and commercial opportunities.