title: Fermentative production of butanol--the academic perspective.
abstract: As mobility is a major pillar of World's economic system and burning fuels from fossil resources leads to a dramatic increase in greenhouse gas emissions, the production and use of appropriate biofuels offer at least a partial solution to this problem. Butanol represents a biofuel extender or replacement with properties clearly superior to ethanol (higher mileage, not hygroscopic, usable without engine modifications, not corrosive). In addition, it is a valuable feedstock for the chemical industry. Scientific challenges for an economically competitive fermentation process include employment of cheap carbon sources, not competing with nutrition, a detailed understanding of the metabolic reactions of the biological process, development of appropriately engineered construction strains, and adaption of process technology to modern standards.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Mikrobiologie und Biotechnologie, Universität Ulm, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081 Ulm, Germany. peter.duerre@uni-ulm.de
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dürre
mesh_terms: D000397:Air Pollution; D001419:Bacteria / Q000378:metabolism; D056804:Biofuels / Q000191:economics* / Q000382:microbiology; D000440:Butanols / Q000191:economics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002244:Carbon / Q000378:metabolism; D003246:Conservation of Energy Resources; D004467:Economics; D000431:Ethanol / Q000191:economics / Q000378:metabolism; D005285:Fermentation; D017752:Greenhouse Effect
chemical_list: D056804:Biofuels; D000440:Butanols; D000431:Ethanol; D002244:Carbon