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Biobutanol

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Biotechnology in China III: Biofuels and Bioenergy

Part of the book series: Advances in Biochemical Engineering Biotechnology ((ABE,volume 128))

Abstract

China initiated its acetone–butanol–ethanol (ABE) industry in the 1950s; it peaked in the 1980s, and ended at the end of the last century owing to the development of more competitive petrochemical pathways. However, driven by the high price of crude oil and environmental concerns raised by the over-consumption of petrochemical products, biofuels and bio-based chemicals including butanol have garnered global attention again. Currently, butanol produced from ABE fermentation is mainly used as an industrial solvent or a platform chemical for several bulk derivatives, and is also believed to be a potential biofuel. A number of plants have been built or rebuilt in recent years in China for butanol production with the ABE process. Chinese researchers also show great interest in the improvement of the production strains and corresponding processes. They have applied conventional mutagenesis methods to improve butanol-producing strains such as the Clostridium acetobutylicum mutant strains EA2018 (butanol ratio of 70%) and Rh8 (butanol tolerance of 19 g/L). The omics technologies, such as genome sequencing, proteomic and transcriptomic analysis, have been adapted to elucidate the characteristics of different butanol-producing bacteria. Based on the group II intron method, the genetic manipulation system of C. acetobutylicum was greatly improved, and some successful engineering strains were developed. In addition, research in China also covers the downstream processes. This article reviews up-to-date progress on biobutanol production in China.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China

    Hongjun Dong, Wenwen Tao, Liejian Yang, Fuyu Gong, Yanping Zhang & Yin Li

  2. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Life Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, Anhui, China

    Zongjie Dai

Authors
  1. Hongjun Dong
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  2. Wenwen Tao
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  3. Zongjie Dai
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  4. Liejian Yang
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  5. Fuyu Gong
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  6. Yanping Zhang
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  7. Yin Li
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yin Li .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. Bioscience & Bioengineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, 116024, China, People's Republic

    Feng-Wu Bai

  2. School of Life Science and Biotechnology, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, 116023, China, People's Republic

    Chen-Guang Liu

  3. , State Key Lab of Mat.-Or. Chem. Eng., Nanjing University, 5 Xinmofan Rd., Nanjing, 210009, China, People's Republic

    He Huang

  4. , Lab. of Renewable Resources Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, 47907, USA

    George T Tsao

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© 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Dong, H. et al. (2011). Biobutanol. In: Bai, FW., Liu, CG., Huang, H., Tsao, G. (eds) Biotechnology in China III: Biofuels and Bioenergy. Advances in Biochemical Engineering Biotechnology, vol 128. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/10_2011_128

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