ABE production from corn: a recent economic evaluation.
This article details an economic assessment of butanol production from corn using the newly developed hyper-butanol-producing strain of Clostridium beijerinckii BA101. Butanol is produced in batch reactors and recovered by distillation. For a plant with 153,000 metric tons of acetone, butanol, and ethanol (ABE) production capacity, the production equipment cost and total working capital cost is US$33.47x10(6) and US$110.46x10(6), respectively. Based on a corn price (C(p)) of US$79.23 x ton(-1) (US$2.01 x bushel(-1)), an ABE yield of 0.42 (g ABE/g glucose) butanol price is projected to be US$0.34 x kg(-1). An improved yield of 0.50 will reduce this price to US$0.29 x kg(-1). Assumptions, such as by-product credit for gases and complete conversion of corn steep liquor (CSL) to fermentation by-products, have been taken into consideration. An increased price of corn to US$197.10 x ton(-1) would result in a butanol price of US$0.47 x kg(-1). A grass-rooted plant would result in a butanol price of US$0.73 x kg(-1) (C(p) US$79.23 x ton(-1)). In a worst case scenario, the price of butanol would increase to US$1.07 x kg(-1) (C(p) 197.10 x ton(-1) for a grass-rooted plant and assuming no credit for gases). This is based on the assumption that corn price would not increase to more than US$197.10 x ton(-1).
Qureshi
N
N
Biotechnology and Bioengineering Group, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, University of Illinois, 1207 West Gregory Drive, Urbana, IL 61801 USA.
Blaschek
H P
HP
D000096:Acetone / Q000191:economics; D000440:Butanols / Q000191:economics*; D003013:Clostridium / Q000378:metabolism*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000191:economics; D005285:Fermentation; D007218:Industrial Microbiology / Q000191:economics* / Q000295:instrumentation; D007449:Investments / Q000191:economics; D003313:Zea mays / Q000191:economics*
D000440:Butanols; D000096:Acetone; D000431:Ethanol