Is it a viable fuel for internal combustion engines?
Yes, butanol can be used for automobiles. According to press releases from British Petroleum, biobutanol is booming in the UK. The company has invested $500 million in biobutanol research projects. Other companies involved in biological butanol production are ButylFuel LLC and TetraVitae Bioscience. Unlike ethanol, butanol, which used to be considered as an unwanted byproduct of acetone production, can also be used as a raw material in the chemical industry. Interestingly, Henry Ford used butanol as a solvent for non-black paint colors. Butanol has a future in gasoline, but the fuel cell may play a larger role in automobiles. It is costly to produce hydrogen. However, research could uncover less expensive methods. The production of hydrogen by algae or cyanobacteria is an example. In fact, hydrogen is a byproduct of biobutanol production. Clostridium beijerinckii, a bacterium from which the most successful production of biobutanol occurs, produces a ton of hydrogen during butanol produ
