Butanol is a 4-carbon alcohol generally used as an industrial solvent with a growing multi-billion market. N-Butanol can be used both as a feedstock for chemical applications and as a biofuel. It is commonly produced from fossil fuels through very pollutant processes, strongly contributing to GHG emissions, and thus requiring more sustainable and greener production alternatives. Butanol can alternatively be obtained via greener processes from biomass-based feedstocks, in which case it is called biobutanol.
BUTANOVA technology is a novel biological alternative for the green production of biobutanol from renewable sources, based on an innovative and proprietary metabolic pathway, capable of higher yields, productivities and purity in either anaerobic or aerobic operation. The major objective of BUTANOVA is the technology demonstration and market introduction of a cost competitive alternative for the biological production of n-butanol, including the scaling-up and process documentation as part of SME Instrument Phase 2.
The feasibility study has demonstrated that our technology has a strong potential, that it is not limited by competition and that there is strong interest from the industry in adopting our bioprocess. BUTANOVA has the potential to disrupt the market, proposing a green alternative for production of n-butanol, competing directly with chemical processes in terms of cost-effectiveness, thus having the potential to reduce substantially greenhouse gas emissions. The innovation project will allow Silicolife to introduce its first biological process to the market, conceived, developed and implemented by the company, as part of its strategy to move from being solely a service provider to becoming also product-oriented, providing novel processes for the bio-based production of chemicals.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 828234.