Butamax opens facility in Brazil

November 10, 2010

BY Luke Geiver

Biobutanol has arrived in Brazil. Butamax Advanced
Biofuels LLC, the joint-venture company formed by DuPont Danisco and BP, has
opened a biobutanol technology laboratory in Paulinia, Brazil. The technology
laboratory is an important milestone in Brazil that allows the company to test
local feedstocks and refine a sugarcane-to-biobutanol technology, according to
Tim Potter, CEO of Butamax.


The new facility will also allow Butamax to study and
properly design for the impact of specific cane feedstock characteristics using
the Butamax process, Potter said, not only chemical composition, but also
biological components such as naturally occurring yeast and bacteria. “In
addition, Paulinia will be our first step in confirming vinasse composition,
gaining regulatory approvals and achieving customer acceptance,” he said.
Vinasse, a byproduct of sugar processing that can be used for ethanol
production, would be characterized and tested in greenhouse studies to
demonstrate safe and effective application to sugarcane, Potter added.


To produce biobutanol via sugarcane, there are two key
changes to Butamax’s process, according to Potter. “The first step is
utilization of the Butamax yeast to produce iso-butanol from sucrose in
fermentation. By our choice of yeast as a host organism, we can minimize
changes to equipment and operating protocols.” The second step involves
modification of the distillation section to recover biobutanol. “Furthermore,”
he said, “the recovery process is integrated with the fermentation section in
order to reduce exposure of the yeast to the alcohol during fermentation.” So,
he added, “we will achieve high production rates by two mechanisms, first,
biologically with a high-performance pathway and development of tolerant yeast
strains. Second, with process engineering to remove the biobutanol product as
it is produced.”

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Other researchers from the laboratory will initially
provide the sugarcane for research purposes. Butamax is also working in the
U.S., U.K. and Germany. 

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