The prices of the new membrane will be a factor to influence butanol prices. The conversion of agricultural biomass to biofuels continues to receive increased attention. Currently, this value-added fermentation process is viewed as potentially attractive for several economic reasons. Prominent among these economic factors is the current surplus of agricultural wastes or by-products that can be utilized as inexpensive fermentation substrates. This is particularly true for mycotoxin-contaminated corn, which is unsuitable for use as animal feed and is difficult to dispose.
Butanol continues to be an important industrial chemical.
Compared to the currently popular fuel additive, ethanol, butanol is more miscible with gasoline and diesel fuel, has a lower vapor pressure, and is less miscible with water, all of which makes it a superior fuel extender. Butanol is currently used as a feedstock chemical in the plastic industry and as a foodgrade extractant in the food and flavor industry. Approximately 10 billion pounds of butanol were produced by petrochemical processes in 1989. If this amount of butanol were produced fermentatively using Clostridium and corn as the substrate, this would translated into 136 million additional bushels of corn being utilized. This additional non-food market for corn would have an obvious price stabilizing effect on this commodity.