Biotech Updates

BASF to Produce Renewable Butanediol

May 15, 2013

Press release: http://www.basf.com/group/pressrelease/P-13-268

News article: http://www.biofuelsdigest.com/bdigest/2013/05/13/the-greening-of-basf-1-chemco-commits-to-biobased-bdo/


The German company BASF plans to produce 1,4-butanediol (BDO) based on renewable feedstock using the one-step fermentation process of the California-based Genomatica.

BDO and its derivatives are widely used for producing plastics, solvents, electronic chemicals and elastic fibers. The starting materials for the production of conventional BDO are natural gas, butane, butadiene and propylene. BASF will build a world-scale production facility that will use Genomatica's patented renewable BDO manufacturing process based on sugars. The renewable BDO is expected to be available in the second half of 2013 for sampling and trials.