26.02.2012
Microbes are producing butanol from wood in the chemistry laboratory at Aalto University. Butanol is kinder to the car’s engine than ethanol and it contains more energy. Butanol burns nearly as hot as gasoline and will not dissolve in water and causes less corrosion. Butanol can be mixed with diesel up to 30 per cent and up to 20 per cent with gasoline without having to make changes to the combustion engine.
“This is the hottest bio fuel in the United States. Butanol is better suited as the bio ingredient of fuel than ethanol “, senior researcher from the Aalto University, Mr. Tom Granström ensures.
A bunch of startup companies have been created to produce butanol in the United States. For the time being, they are making butanol from starch, which does not eliminate one of the biggest problems of ethanol: competition with food production.
The future will see wood as the ingredient of choice when making butanol.The Finnish butanol production methods are being developed for example in the Aalto University. The research is part of a Tekes (the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation) funded Biofine venture. In addition to Aalto University, Neste Oil and St1 Biofuels are among the companies participating in the venture. (Source: www.tekniikkatalous.fi, 09.12.2011)
Thanks for the feedback! I modified the news. Butane was a direct translation from the original news story in Finnish.
InnoConnections - Thu Aug 31 16:55:38 2017
IT'S BUTANOL!
I can't believe every other moron on the internet confuses butane and butanol.
- Thu Aug 31 16:38:53 2017