Global Bio-based Butanol Market 2015-2019 - Key Vendors are Butalco, Butamax, Cobalt, Gevo, Green Biologics, Laxmi Organic Industries, Novozymes, Syntec Biofuel & ZeoChem

The global bio-based butanol market to grow at a CAGR of 9.27% over the period 2014-2019.

The report, Global Bio-based Butanol Market 2015-2019, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report includes a comprehensive discussion on the market, segmented by geography; it also provides an extensive coverage on various applications of bio-based butanol, considering both the existing market landscape and its growth prospects in the coming years. The report also presents the market analysis for each application segment in detail based on its growth potential and return on investment. The report provides key vendor information based on the production of bio-based butanol by each vendor.

One trend that augments growth in this market is the introduction of the carbon negative bio-butanol production technology. This technology uses cellulose as feedstock. The aggregate energy content in the cellulose-based feedstock has the surplus to cover the energy for generation and the whole life cycle of the fuel.

According to the report, the need for sustainable fuel is a major driver that promotes growth in this market. Bio-based butanol can be blended with gasoline at higher concentrations than bio-based ethanol, which implies that engines burning a mix of butanol and gasoline should generate more power than those that use a mix of ethanol and gasoline.

Further, the report states that the high price of feedstock is a major challenge faced by this market. The cost of bio-based butanol production depends on the price of the feedstock and thus is greatly influenced by any price fluctuations in that feedstock. The cost of feedstock accounts for over 70% of the aggregate production costs of bio-based butanol.

- Butalco
- Butamax
- Cobalt
- Gevo
- Green Biologics
- Laxmi Organic Industries
- Novozymes
- Syntec Biofuel
- ZeoChem

- Butyl Fuel
- Cathay Industrial Biotech
- Eastman Chemical
- METabolic Explorer
- Sovert

Excerpts from Biofuels Digest: ... The debate touting butanol over ethanol as a ‘better’ fuel component has gone on for quite some time in biofuel circles. Those who support butanol point to three key factors:

• Butanol has a higher fuel density;
• Butanol can be blended at a 1.6:1 higher blend ratio (i.e. E10 is equivalent to B16), and;
• Its compatibility with petroleum distribution systems, including fueling pumps.

• Butanol has a lower octane rating;
• Butanol has a lower heat of evaporation;
• Butanol has a higher cost per BTU, and;
• Butanol has a significantly lower Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP).

However, we purport that both butanol and ethanol can be blended together to provide a better fuel component.

Some in the biofuel industry have suggested that ethanol has a high RVP. In truth, neat ethanol has a very low RVP of 2.32 psi compared to gasoline’s 7.8 – 15 psi RVP range. The RVP of neat butanol is even lower at a range of 0.48-0.77 psi, which is low enough to affect cold starts and drivability. Ethanol, when blended with hydrocarbons, raises the RVP of the hydrocarbon component due to the phobic nature of gasoline to ethanol. A certain RVP level is required – 5.5 is the target specification, as it is at the lower limit as defined by ASTM Method D5798 – to avoid cold-start problems, but it is also desired to restrict RVP at the upper end to avoid air pollution from volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which would require a 7.8 RVP or less. Furthermore, seasonal temperature change must be taken into account when determining these RVP levels.

N-Butanol with a RON of 93 cannot provide a 100 RON fuel without adding aromatics or ethanol. Iso-butanol is better with a blending RON of 111; however sufficient RVP needs to be accounted for. Ethanol can easily contribute to a 100 RON fuel with its 123 RON rating, but controlling RVP is an issue. E10 presently has a 1-psi waiver for maximum RVP and still requires removing some of the lighter, less expensive hydrocarbons. Adding more ethanol than 10% actually assists in lowering the RVP as the effect of larger amounts of low RVP ethanol begins to counter the elevated RVP nature of a declining amount of hydrocarbons, …

Here is where ethanol and butanol can be symbiotic. When butanol is added to an ethanol/gasoline blend, it provides a significant negative effect on the RVP.

A combined alcohol blend of about 18% ethanol and 12% butanol can maintain the original BOB RVP but would lack optimal latent heat of evaporation. A tri-blend of ethanol, butanol and higher amounts of lighter hydrocarbons makes an ideal fuel blend and is an improvement over single blends of ethanol/gasoline or butanol/gasoline. This blend could use “natural gasoline” from gas wells, butane and other less expensive hydrocarbons while still maintaining the 9 psi RVP maximum standard set by the EPA. READ MORE