Bio-Butanol Production from Raw Sugar

Products

Butanol. n-Butyl Alcohol, also called n-Butanol, is an aliphatic alcohol applied in the production of butyl acrylates. It may be found as compound in nature or in fusel oils obtained via fermentation. Like all butanols. it is a colorless, clear liquid at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. This alcohol is employed as solvent, as well as in plasticizers. The industrial production of n-butanol started in the first decades of the 20th century and was based on a fermentation route that also yielded acetone. Currently, its commercial production is mainly based on the hydrogenation of n-butyraldehyde obtained by the hydroformylation of propylene using synthesis gas (this route is usually called OXO process).

Ethanol. Ethanol, or ethyl alcohol, is a volatile, flammable, and colorless liquid (pure form). It is miscible in all proportions with water, ether, acetone, benzene, and some other organic solvents. Ethanol has been produced by the fermentation of carbohydrates for thousands of years. In the 1930s, low oil prices enabled the production of industrial ethanol through direct and indirect hydration of petroleum-derived ethylene. The rising cost of crude petroleum has prompted research into the industrial manufacture of ethanol from biomass sources. Ethanol from biomass can be produced by the fermentation of starch (from corn), sugar (from sugarcane) or waste lignocellulosic biomass (such as corn stover or switch grass). The process varies depending on the feedstock used. Due to governments’ programs and technology advances, biomass has become the lowest cost raw material for ethanol production. Currently, ethanol is almost exclusively obtained from biomass and has become a renewable-based chemical. Global concerns about sustainability and global warming have inspired research into the use of renewable ethanol for ethylene manufacture, substituting petroleum-derived ethylene.

Acetone. Acetone, also known as 2-propanone, is the simplest ketone. It is used as solvent for a wide range of organic compounds (e.g. oils, fats, resins, waxes and gums). It is also used as feedstock for the production of several chemicals, such as methyl methacrylate, bisphenol A, and methyl isobutyl ketone. The main source of acetone is the process for phenol production from cumene, which generates acetone as by-product at an approximate ratio for 0.6 kg of acetone per kg of phenol. Industrial consumers of acetone usually receive shipments in large containers made of carbon steel, tank trucks made of stainless steel or aluminum, or rail tank cars made of carbon steel or aluminum. International shipments by sea are usually made in steel barges and amount at least 2,000 metric tons.

Raw Material

Raw Sugar. Raw sugar is a commodity product which is light brown in color and presents from 96 to 99 wt% of sucrose. Since it is not an edible product, it must undergo a refining process to become a refined sugar (more than 99.9 wt% sucrose), a product suitable to food applications. This may be accomplished in the same sugar factory where raw sugar was produced or in stand-alone refineries. It is commercialized as a granular product, and can be produced either from sugarcane or sugarbeet, depending on climate conditions. Sugarcane is cultivated in tropical and subtropical areas, while sugarbeet is more suitable to temperate zones.