The break-through could mean great savings in processing costs and time, plus isobutanol is a higher grade of alcohol than ethanol, according to the US Dept. of Energy's BioEnergy Science Centre and its Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where the research is being done.
"Unlike ethanol, isobutanol can be blended at any ratio with gasoline and should eliminate the need for dedicated infrastructure in tanks or vehicles," said James Liao of the University of California at Los Angeles, who led the research team. "Plus, it may be possible to use isobutanol directly in current engines without modification."
The team used a method of bio break-down known as “consolidated bioprocessing” to produce isobutanol directly from cellulose.
Compared to ethanol, higher alcohols such as isobutanol are better candidates for gasoline replacement because they have an energy density, octane value and Reid vapour pressure - a measurement of volatility - that is much closer to gasoline, said Liao, chancellor's professor and vice chair of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science.
"[This] announcement is yet another sign of the rapid progress we are making in developing the next generation of bio-fuels that can help reduce our oil dependence," said US Energy Secretary Steven Chu.
"This is a perfect example of the promising opportunity we have to create a major new industry —one based on bio-material such as wheat and rice straw, corn stover, lumber wastes, and plants specifically developed for bio-fuel production that require far less fertilizer and other energy inputs. But we must continue with an aggressive research and development effort," he said.
The Dept. of Energy late last year offered up $30 million for research projects that would develop advanced bio-fuels that could replace gasoline or diesel without requiring special upgrades or changes to the vehicle or fueling infrastructure.
The agency said $30 million would be spent over the next four years to support as many as five "traditionally high-risk bio-fuels projects," such as converting biomass into bio-fuels and bio-products to be eventually used for hydrocarbon fuels and chemicals.
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