SCIENCE CONGRESS
THAVANESH KUMAAR & PRASUN DASTHAKUR
India consumes large quantities
of petrol every year. At the same
time, fossil fuels contribute to
pollution and greenhouse gas
emissions. To reduce
dependence on petroleum,
renewable biofuels such as
ethanol and biobutanol are
being studied.
E20 petrol is currently used in
India to reduce fossil fuel
consumption. However, ethanol
has a lower energy content than
petrol, which can reduce fuel
economy in some situations.
This project proposes the concept of
B10, a blend of 10% biobutanol and 90%
petrol, as a possible future research
direction. Biobutanol has properties
that are closer to petrol than ethanol,
making it an interesting subject for
scientific investigation.
The increasing demand for fuel and
concerns about environmental
pollution have encouraged scientists
to search for cleaner and renewable
alternatives to fossil fuels. This project
explores B10, a conceptual blend
consisting of 10% biobutanol and 90%
petrol.
Biobutanol is a renewable alcohol fuel
produced from biomass using
microorganisms. Compared with
ethanol, it has higher energy content,
lower water absorption, and lower
corrosiveness. This report discusses
the production of biobutanol, its
properties, advantages, limitations,
and the future potential of B10 as a
biofuel blend.
Fuel Energy
Content
(MJ/L)
Petrol 32.0
Biobutanol 29.2
Ethanol 21.1
Conclusion
Petrol has the highest energy content (32.0 MJ/L).
Biobutanol is much closer to petrol than ethanol (29.2
MJ/L).
Ethanol has the lowest energy content (21.1 MJ/L).
How is Biobutanol Produced?
Biobutanol is a renewable biofuel produced from plant-based materials (biomass) using
microorganisms through a process called fermentation.
Step 1: Collection of Biomass
Raw materials are collected, such as:
🌾 Rice straw
🌿 Sugarcane bagasse
🌽 Corn
🍬 Molasses
🍌 Banana waste
🍃 Other agricultural waste
↓
Step 2: Conversion into Sugars
The biomass is processed so that its carbohydrates are converted into simple sugars such as glucose.
↓
Step 3: Fermentation
Microorganisms, mainly:
🦠 Clostridium acetobutylicum
🦠 Clostridium beijerinckii
consume the sugars and convert them into:
Biobutanol
Acetone
Ethanol
This process is called ABE (Acetone–Butanol–Ethanol) fermentation.
↓
Step 4: Separation and Purification
The fermentation mixture contains butanol, water, and other compounds. Industrial separation and
purification processes are used to obtain purified biobutanol.
↓
Step 5: Fuel Blending
The purified biobutanol can then be blended with petrol in suitable proportions for research and
evaluation.
Advantages of Producing Biobutanol
✅ Renewable fuel source
✅ Uses agricultural waste
✅ Higher energy content than ethanol
✅ Lower water absorption
✅ Less corrosive than ethanol
✅ Can help reduce dependence on fossil fuels
(IT GIVES MORE MILEAGE THAN E20 WHICH IS ETHANOL 20
PERCENTAGE CAN CAUSE RUSTING OF THE ENGINE
HENCE,B10 CAN GIVE MORE MILEAGE WITHOUT
MODIFYING THE ENGINE SUSTAINABILITY)
DISADVANTAGES OF
BIOBUTANOL
OVER BLENDING BIOBUTANOL CAN CAUSE MODIFICATION IN ENGINE
PRODUCING BIOBUTANOL CAN COST MUCH BUT AS WE KNOW ONE TIME INVESTMENT IS THE BEST
INVESTMENT WHEN IT GIVES MORE RETURN
IN CONCLUSION,BY REPLACING
ETHANOL BY BIOBUTANOL CAN
REDUCE THE POLLUTION AND
PREVENT THE MILEAGE DROP
OF VEHICLE
THANK YOU