promotum

1
Butanol as Fuel – View From the Field
NREL
March 11, 2010
Sam Nejame
Promotum
2
Agenda
•
What is Butanol?
•
Brief History
•
ABE Process
•
Today’s Butanol From Petroleum
•
The Future of Butanol Fuels
•
Questions
3
What is Butanol?
•
Family of 4 Carbon Alcohols
•
Most common forms are normal butanol (n-buoh) and
iso-butanol (i-buoh)
•
n-buoh primarily used to make butyl acrylates for
coatings and adhesives
•

Both n-buoh and iso-buoh have good fuel properties
Butanol Physical & Fuel Properties
4
Physical Property i-butanol n-butanol Ethanol
   
   
!"#$%
&!
  '$
()*$#+,- ./ 0/ /
12' 103.5 87 112
3145100 F)⁰
1
5.0 4.3 18-22
Promotum, Gevo
5
Summary Comparison Butanol to Ethanol Fuel
•
Higher energy content
•
Less hydrophilic
•
More compatible w/oil infrastructure
•
More compatible w/installed base of autos
•
Reduces blend vapor pressure
•
Less corrosive
•

Iso-butanol works well with gasoline
•
n-butanol works well with diesel
6
Butanol a Brief History
•
Acetone, Butanol, Ethanol (ABE) Process
•
First Industrial Fermentation Commercialized (1918)
•
Clostridium acetobutylicum bacteria
•
Acetone for Cordite
•
Later butanol for butyl paint & coatings (1930’s)
•
RAF planes flew on butanol during WWII
•
Petroleum based production becomes cheaper (1950s)
7
ABE Fermentation Reaction Kinetics
Ramey & Yang
8
•
Toxicity to the organism
•
Low product concentrations
•
Low yield
Problems w/Traditional ABE Process

9
Butanol Production From Petroleum (1950s-Present)
•
Production of Butanol by oxo Alcohol Process
•
Players & Market Share
•
US & Global Manufacturing Capacity
•
Price history of butanol, ethanol, gasoline
10
Butanol Production From the oxo Process
Metex
•
Global market for nbuoh is 3.8 M mtons/Yr
•
Global iso-buoh is ~ 0.4 M mtons/Yr
11
Market Share of Leading n-Butanol Producers
Metex
Butanol
Cash Cost
($ / mton)
Cumulative Capacity (K mtons)
Source: Tetra Vitae, SRI; company analysis
Assumptions: $70 oil, range of feedstock cost
Global Butanol Industry Capacity - Facility Cost Curve
12
DOMESTIC DEMAND
exports

Domestic Butanol Production
Butanol
Cash Cost
($ / mt)
Cumulative Capacity (K mtons)
Source: Tetra Vitae, SRI; company analysis
Assumptions: $70 Oil
13
14
Chemical Strategies, Inc.
15
The Future of Bio-Butanol Fuels
“Our goal is to build a
supply chain from
lignocellulose to butanol.”
Tony Hayward, CEO British Petroleum
16
Summary Bio-Butanol Process Goals
•
Power & Price of Biotechnology Tools
systems biology, pathway engineering
•
Over expression butanol
•
Suppression of other pathways
•
Organism tolerance
•
Improving yield
•

Increasing productivity (rate)
•
Flexible feedstocks

17
Status Domestic Butanol Companies
Company Bug Bug
Strategy
Molecule Fermentaon
Process
Separaon
Strategy
Development
Status
67 8 6'9-%:
4
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!7*&3$
3++!
95!+5
"></'9
!
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!3#3<
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3/?

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/!5
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3#5<!$

*!+
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
(: -C&
18
Status International Butanol Companies
Company Bug Bug
Strategy
Molecule Fermentaon
Process
Separaon
Strategy
Development
Status
#F
#
!3#
A
6'9 ;$#< "$< +###
!7*&3$
3++!
"A3)#/-I

0!
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6!
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'F3
55#+
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19
Green Biologics
Bio-Butanol Projecting the 3
rd
Wave
20
Promotum
Bio Iso-Butanol Fuel Commercialization Forecast
$6bn
chemicals
21
Thoughts on Butanol Adoption
 !A<7&!C '!C*!$#/5!#3#!*3C
<3
 :73B37B#1#3KK #$N!</$#*!&!+
<*3C
0 ,F!3/$!@!!/
#!

(3$F33$#67!3
5!77!
 A;F&#!!
<5!3#!
K@<+&&5!3#+G35+9
5C#F$5+
!!!C3!7!
. :#AC!#
55!7
'$+7!!#'#*#!!O
&!!+
P #!3#+ )<!!O
93!$5!$
 ,<5!7#
+#
:<$3<&!!!<
22
Acknowledgements
•
Jim Evangelow Chemical Strategies
•
Gorden Cheng ChemaLogic
•
Jay Kouba Tetra Vitae
•
Hans Blachek University of Illinois-Urbana
•
Adam Schubert Butamax
•
Ron Bray SRI Consulting

23
Thank You
Sam Nejame
Promotum
617.576.9084

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