Grant: Collaborative Research and Development Grants

The goal of the proposed project is to develop an efficient biobutanol production process using bacterial fermentation and crude glycerol as feedstock generated as a low value by-product of the biodiesel industry. Biobased production of butanol from renewable feedstock is a promising and sustainable alternative to substitute petroleum based fuels and platform chemicals. There has been a resurgence of commercial interest in butanol from fermentation in the last decade (Butamax, Gevo, Cobalt, etc.) using sugar-based feedstocks. Meanwhile there is an abundantly available supply of crude glycerol as a byproduct of biodiesel production. The global production of biodiesel increased from 959 million liters in 2001 to 15,760 million liters in 2009, a compounded annual growth rate of 41.9%, generating 1 kg of glycerol for every 10 kg of biodiesel produced. To date the glycerol market cannot come close to absorbing the crude glycerol excess from biodiesel. Strains of bacteria (e.g. Clostridia sp.) can utilize crude glycerol and produce butanol at high yields. The proposed project will utilize crude glycerol, the current waste-stream from the biodiesel industry as a feedstock to produce biobutanol, a higher value fuel and platform chemical. The project will not only reduce feedstock costs, but will further aim to increase the butanol yield and decrease the product recovery costs through the innovative use of carbon monoxide (CO) as a stripping gas for butanol recovery and as a reducing agent in co-substrate butanol production. The proposed process will be developed and characterized at bench scale and subsequently scaled up to pilot scale. Three PhD students will be trained during the project and will develop highly relevant skills to work in Canada's fast growing bio-economy. An experienced research engineer will be hired to supervise the students and manage the project. The proposed process will generate new biobutanol process technology and the potential to be licensed and commercialized into turn-key modular systems for the biofuels industry. Newalta could benefit by having the first opportunity to commercialize the biobutanol technology developed at Western during this project.