In an interview with the site Ethanol Statistics, BP Biofuels President Philip New said that the company hoped that it may have biobutanol available on a commercial scale before cellulosic ethanol is available on "an economically sound basis."
I want to avoid setting expectations that are inappropriate on the basis of cutting edge biotech. There could be events that speed up things and set backs. We have our targets, but I hope that we will have butanol available on a commercial scale, before we have cellulosic ethanol on an economically sound basis.
—Philip New
In 2006, BP and DuPont formed a partnership to develop, produce and market next-generation biofuels to help meet increasing global demand for renewable transport fuels. The first product from the partnership is to be biobutanol. (Earlier post.)
Butanol's energy content is closer to gasoline than ethanol's. It is non-corrosive, can be distributed through existing pipelines, and can be—but does not have to be—blended with fossil fuels.
Biobutanol's low vapor pressure and its tolerance to water contamination in gasoline blends facilitate its use in existing gasoline supply and distribution channels. It has the potential to be blended into gasoline at larger concentrations than existing biofuels without the need to retrofit vehicles and it offers better fuel economy than gasoline-ethanol blends, improving a car's fuel efficiency and mileage.