<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>Rising energy demands and the environmental impact of fossil fuel combustion have promoted a growing interest in alternative fuel sources. Biobutanol is a promising biofuel that can be used as a partial or complete substitute for petrol in unmodified internal combustion engines. It can be produced through a microbiological process called ABE fermentation. Currently, its production is uncompetitive in the market, but researchers are still working on solutions to improve the technology. This paper used a multi-criteria decision analysis method to evaluate different alternatives for biobutanol production: microorganism strain, agro-industrial waste substrate as process feedstock, bioreactor type and extraction method. It was determined that <italic>C. beijerinckii</italic> and <italic>C. saccharoperbutylacetonicum</italic> have great potential for being used for efficient biobutanol production. Cheese whey is a promising residue for being used in the fermentation medium. Other residues evaluated in the paper gained similar results as being “close to ideal”. Fed-batch with immobilized cells was chosen as the most promising fermentation method. It showed the greatest prospects as an optimal way to produce butanol. And, finally, adsorption and liquid-liquid extraction methods were identified as the most promising for ABE product extraction in comparison to others. Identified combinations of optimal solutions for microorganisms, fermentation methods, substrates and extraction techniques should be further evaluated in the laboratory setting.</p>
</abstract>

Rising energy demands and the environmental impact of fossil fuel combustion have promoted a growing interest in alternative fuel sources. Biobutanol is a promising biofuel that can be used as a partial or complete substitute for petrol in unmodified internal combustion engines. It can be produced through a microbiological process called ABE fermentation. Currently, its production is uncompetitive in the market, but researchers are still working on solutions to improve the technology. This paper used a multi-criteria decision analysis method to evaluate different alternatives for biobutanol production: microorganism strain, agro-industrial waste substrate as process feedstock, bioreactor type and extraction method. It was determined that C. beijerinckii and C. saccharoperbutylacetonicum have great potential for being used for efficient biobutanol production. Cheese whey is a promising residue for being used in the fermentation medium. Other residues evaluated in the paper gained similar results as being “close to ideal”. Fed-batch with immobilized cells was chosen as the most promising fermentation method. It showed the greatest prospects as an optimal way to produce butanol. And, finally, adsorption and liquid-liquid extraction methods were identified as the most promising for ABE product extraction in comparison to others. Identified combinations of optimal solutions for microorganisms, fermentation methods, substrates and extraction techniques should be further evaluated in the laboratory setting.

In Search of the Best Technological Solutions for Optimal Biobutanol Production: A Multi-Criteria Analysis Approach

Environmental and Climate Technologies

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Rising energy demands and the environmental impact of fossil fuel combustion have promoted a growing interest in alternative fuel sources. Biobutanol is a...

In Search of the Best Technological Solutions for Optimal Biobutanol Production: A Multi-Criteria Analysis Approach

Published Online: Dec 07, 2023

Page range: 864 - 877

Received: Jun 28, 2023

Accepted: Nov 06, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/rtuect-2023-0063

Keywords
ABE fermentation, agro-industrial waste, bacteria, biobutanol, biofuel, bioreactors, butanol, Clostridium, MCDA, multi-criteria analysis, renewable fuels, residues, TOPSIS, waste biomass

© 2023 Indra Berzina et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

In Search of the Best Technological Solutions for Optimal Biobutanol Production: A Multi-Criteria Analysis Approach

Published Online: Dec 07, 2023

Page range: 864 - 877

Received: Jun 28, 2023

Accepted: Nov 06, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/rtuect-2023-0063

KeywordsABE fermentation, agro-industrial waste, bacteria, biobutanol, biofuel, bioreactors, butanol, Clostridium, MCDA, multi-criteria analysis, renewable fuels, residues, TOPSIS, waste biomass

© 2023 Indra Berzina et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Keywords
ABE fermentation, agro-industrial waste, bacteria, biobutanol, biofuel, bioreactors, butanol, Clostridium, MCDA, multi-criteria analysis, renewable fuels, residues, TOPSIS, waste biomass