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In US biobutanol could replace ethanol by 2018

By 2018 U.S. motorists could be filling up their vehicles with biobutanol, as Butamax Adavance Biofuels, a joint venture of BP and DuPont, hopes to replace ethanol with the new biofuel type in three year period.



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According to Butamax, biobutanol has significant advantages over other biofuels. The product that is currently being assessed at Dupont´s Experimental Research Station has 25% more energy per gallon than ethanol, according to Delware Public.

Biobutanol is also less corrosive than ethanol, making it more compatible with existing engines and pipelines. Many ethanol consumers have complained in the past about the damage done to their vehicles by ethanol fuel.

U.S. regulators allow biobutanol to be blended at 16%, while ethanol is restricted to only 10%, allowing a higher concentration of biofuel per litre.

In an interview with Delware Public, University of Delaware Professor Terry Papoutsakis said that if the fermentation technology improves and production costs are reduced, biobutanol will have an important position in the future retailing market.

Butamax transforms sugars from various biomass feedstocks, including corn and sugarcane, into biobutanol using existing biofuel production facilities.

Gevo announced yesterday that it has entered worldwide patent cross-license and settlement agreements with Butamax Advanced Biofuels, LLC, ending a patent dispute related to technologies for the production of bio-based isobutanol. 

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