The global butadiene market, with current annual production at about 11 million MT and valued at $30-40 billion, is slated to grow at 4.1% per year through 2016. Approximately two-thirds of the butadiene produced is used in synthetic rubber manufacturing. This growth is primarily based on increased demand via derivative expansion and rapid economic growth, particularly in Asia.
High crude oil prices and low natural gas prices in the U.S. have caused petrochemical companies to shift from oil-based naphtha cracking to natural gas-based ethane cracking, and have resulted in reduced butadiene supply. This has spurred interest in on-purpose butadiene production both from conventional feedstocks and renewable feedstocks.
Meanwhile, there has been great interest in green tires, which are manufactured from synthetic rubber derived from bio-based monomers such as bio-isoprene and bio-butadiene. Indeed, the bio-butadiene area is particularly active with companies including Genomatica and Cobalt Technologies announcing their plans to commercialize in the next five years.
IHS Chemical Process Economics Program (PEP) has reviewed the latest patents and selected open literature made available by the companies mentioned above. Comparative process design and economics are provided for the production of 220 million lb/yr (100,000 ton/yr) of bio-based 1,3-butadiene. These bio-processes will be compared to the dominant, conventional process for butadiene production to understand its feasibility. This report is of interest to biochemical companies, Asian chemical companies in expansion mode, global petrochemical companies seeking to reduce their environmental footprint and polymer/plastic/rubber industries that rely on butadiene as a raw material.

1. Introduction 1

Background 1

Bio-Based Production Routes 2

      Feedstock Properties 3

Cobalt Technologies Process 3

Genomatica Indirect Process 4

Genomatica Direct Process 4

      Product Properties 5

Report Overview 5

2. Summary 6

Introduction 6

Global Butadiene Demand 7

Global Butadiene Growth 8

Technologies Covered 8

      Cobalt Process Technology 8

      Process Sections 9

      Chemistry – Cobalt Process 9

      Genomatica Indirect Process Technology 10

      Genomatica Direct Process Technology 11

      Existing Conventional Butadiene Technology 12

Feedstock Pricing 12

      Effect of Glucose Cost 12

Economic Summaries: Production Costs 14

      Cobalt Process at Different Glucose Feedstock Costs 18

      Genomatica Indirect Process at Different Glucose Feedstock Costs 18

      Genomatica Direct Process at Different Glucose Feedstock Costs 19

Conclusion 19

3. Industry status 20

Introduction 20

Uses 21

Butadiene Demand 23

Butadiene Supply 26

      Crude C4 27

      Butadiene 28

Prices 30

      Mixed C4s 30

      1,3 Butadiene 31

Specifications 34

      C4 Stream 34

      1,3 Butadiene 35

Plant Capacity 37

New Capacity 43

Bio-Butadiene developments 44

4. Technology review 45

Introduction 45

Cobalt Technologies' Bio-Butanol 45

      Manufacturing of bio-butanol by different routes 45

      Cobalt Immobilized Cell Bioreactor 46

      Bioreactor concept nomenclature 47

      Cobalt Technologies Fermentation Flow Scheme 48

      Product Recovery 49

1,3-Butadiene Production by an Indirect technology 50

      Fermentation 51

      Conversion Pathways to 1,3-BDO 51

      1,3-BDO Recovery 55

      1,3-BDO Dehydration to 1,3-Butadiene 56

      1,3-Butadiene Recovery and Purification 57

1,3-Butadiene Production by a Direct Technology 57

      Fermentation 58

      1,3-Butadiene Recovery and Purification 62

      By-Product Recovery 63

5. Cobalt Process for Bio-Butadiene 64

Introduction 64

Cobalt Technology 64

Process Sections 64

      Chemistry 65

      Basis for Design and Evaluation 65

Process Description 68

      Section 100 and 200 –Media Preparation and Fermentation 69

      Section 300 – Separation and Recovery 70

      Section 400 – Dehydration of Butanol 70

      Section 500 & 600 Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Butenes & Butadiene Extraction 71

      Stream Flows 71

      Major equipment and utilities summary 74

Process discussion 77

      Heat-Exchanger Sizing 78

      Product Recovery 79

      Offsite Storage 79

      Environmental 79

Cost estimates 80

      Fixed-Capital Costs 81

      Production Costs 81

Effect of Glucose Cost 88

6. Economic Evaluation of Bio-Based 1,3-Butadiene Production by an Indirect Route via 1,3 Butanediol 92

Introduction 92

1,3-Butadiene Production by an Indirect Route 92

      Fermentation 93

      Conversion Pathways to 1,3-BDO 93

      1,3-BDO Recovery 98

      1,3-BDO Dehydration to 1,3-Butadiene 98

      1,3-Butadiene Recovery and Purification 100

Process Description 100

      Section 100 –Fermentation 107

      Section 200 – BDO Recovery 108

      Section 300 – Butadiene Production 108

Cost Estimates 109

      Capital Costs 109

      Production Costs 112

      Effect of Glucose Cost 115

7. Economic Evaluation of Bio-Based 1,3-Butadiene Production by a Direct Route 118

Introduction 118

1,3-Butadiene Production by a Direct Route 118

      Fermentation 119

      1,3-Butadiene Recovery and Purification 123

      By-Product Recovery 123

Process Description 124

      Section 100 –Fermentation 132

      Section 200 – Butadiene Recovery and Purification 132

      Section 300 – By-Product Recovery 132

Cost Estimates 133

      Capital Costs 133

      Production Costs 136

      Effect of Glucose Cost 139

Appendix A: Patent Summary Tables 143

Appendix B: Design and cost bases 154

Design Conditions 154

Cost Bases 154

      Capital Investment 154

      Project Construction Timing 156

      Available Utilities 156

      Production Costs 156

      Effect of Operating Level on Production Costs 157

Appendix C: Cited references 158

Appendix D: Patent references by company 163

Appendix E: Process Flow Diagrams 165

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