Butanol refining efficiency reseach project launched at University of Alabama

In Alabama, Maobing Tu has launched a research project  to improve efficiency in the biorefining process for butanol production from forest and agricultural biomass. Tu said his study, titled “Carbonyl Inhibition of Butanol Production from Biomass Hydrolysates by Clostridium acetobutylicum,” will be a significant step toward making butanol production economically viable. Tu’s research is funded by a five-year, $401,155 National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Award.