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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Peoria, Illinois » National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research » Bioenergy Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #294627
Title: Isobutanol production from bioenergy crops

Author
item EZEJI, T - The Ohio State University
item Qureshi, Nasib
item UJOR, V - The Ohio State University

Submitted to: Elsevier
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/14/2013
Publication Date: 12/10/2013
Publication URL: http://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/1228140
Citation: Ezeji, T.J., Qureshi, N., Ujor, V. 2014. Isobutanol production from bioenergy crops. In: Gupta, V.K., Tuohy, M., Kubicek, C.P., Saddler, J., Xu, F., editors. Bioenergy Research: Advances and Applications. Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Elsevier BV. p. 109-118.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Isobutanol has particularly received strong attention due to its attributes as a potential fuel, such as relatively high energy content, diminished flammability and hygroscopicity, high octane value, and compatibility with gasoline. Whereas isobutanol is produced industrially via carbonylation (incorporation of carbon monoxide into organic/inorganic compounds) of propylene or hydrogenation of isobutyraldehyde using an enclosed continuous reactor, isobutanol is naturally produced in negligible amounts by Saccharomyces cerevisiae as a degradation product of valine. The key problems associated with the bioproduction of isobutanol are availability of cheap substrates, scanty availability of native producers, and isobutanol toxicity/inhibition of the producing microorganisms, resulting in a low isobutanol titer in the fermentation broth. This chapter, therefore, details the (1) biochemistry of isobutanol production; (2) metabolic engineering of producing microorganisms for efficient isobutanol production; (3) feasibility of using bioenergy crops for isobutanol production; and (4) potential advanced technologies for integrated isobutanol production and recovery.