New Alt Fuel on the Horizon: Butanol

It's a good bet that you've heard of ethanol or E85 by now, right? Well, now there's another upstart alt fuel that's made using comparable fermentation methods: butanol (butyl alcohol). You may also hear it referred to as biobutanol. Word is that it has the potential to become a big player in the biofuels industry.

What is butanol? It's a four carbon alcohol, part of the family that includes methanol (one carbon), ethanol (two carbon) and proponal (three carbon). According to the National Energy Education Development Project's March newsletter, butanol can be made from the same feedstocks as ethanol: corn, wheat and sugarcane. While there's still a ways to go in finding an efficient and high-yield feedstock, BP and DuPont are working on developing tougher microbes that can stand up to butanol's toxicity.

Why bother, you ask? Well, it seems that butanol has a much higher energy content than ethanol without the performance drawbacks (ie. lower fuel mileage). Butanol's BTU content is actually quite close to gasoline. And since it's not as corrosive as ethanol, it could be transported via the current infrastructure. It can also be mixed with gasoline in higher ratios (than ethanol) since it is less volatile. Bottom line: butanol could be an excellent alt fuel that could potentially be a direct replacement for gasoline. It can be put right into the tank of any gasoline burning car with no modification. That's what the guys at ButylFuel™ did from July 14 to August 15, 2005 when they took the first trip across America powered by 100 percent butanol. Best of all, butanol reduces greenhouse gas emissions. According to the ButylFuel™ website, using butanol as a fuel reduces hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and oxides of nitrogen.

So is butanol another piece of the puzzle in helping to meet the demand for environmentally responsible, renewable fuels for transportation? We think so--and we'll keep you up-to-date as developments continue.

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