DuPont and BP are two companies that are active in providing energy solutions, and have been one of the first players to venture into the development of butanol as an advanced transport biofuel. As mentioned in many reports, butanol (a four-carbon alcohol) is said to have several advantages as a biofuel compared to ethanol (a two-carbon alcohol) in terms of energy density, fuel economy and anti-corrosion property. A recent press release on the DuPont/BP research partnership reports that an isomeric mixture of biobutanol can maintain high (or better) engine performance, even at blends higher than 10%, which is usually the ceiling blend for ethanol. (An isomeric butanol mixture, contains 1-butanol, 2-butanol and isobutanol, all having four-carbon atoms which differ only in the arrangement of the molecules). According to the report, vehicle testing data showed that a 16% blend of the butanol mixture (with gasoline) “delivers similar fuel performance compared to current 10 percent ethanol blend gasoline fuels, which importantly means that butanol can help achieve higher biofuel penetration without compromising fuel performance”. One of the partnership’s research thrusts is to look into advanced metabolic pathways of the butanol isomers. A full environmental life cycle analysis of the proposed biobutanol process has also been commissioned by DuPont and BP..