Biobased 1,4-butanediol (BDO)

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Type of post: Fact sheet.
Series: Biobased chemicals – Alcohols.
Publication date: 01/06/2021. Last update: 11/06/2021.

Description
- Diol with 4 carbon atoms.
- It is a colourless, viscous liquid.


Applications
- In the presence of phosphoric acid and high temperature, it dehydrates to the tetrahydrofuran (THF), which is used in various industrial applications such as a solvent in pharmaceuticals. Half of the BDO consumption is used for production of THF.
- The second largest market for BDO is the synthesis of γ-butyrolactone (GBL). GBL is used in industrial cleaning products and in the production of Methylpyrrolidone (NMP) and 2-pyrrolidone.
- Polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) is produced by polymerising terephthalic acid and BDO. PBT is an engineering plastic is used in a wide range of applications, mainly in electrical and automotive component.

Conventional petrochemical routes (1)
- Reppe process (acetylene): 42% of global capacity.
- Davy Process (maleic anhydride): 28% of global capacity.
- Propylene Oxide process: 20% of global capacity.
- Mitsubishi process (butadiene): 7% of global capacity.

Main biobased routes
- Direct fermentation of sugars.
- [Succinic acid via] Fermentation of sugars to produce succinic acid / Hydrogenation of succinic acid.

Actors – Active projects
- BASF [Direct fermentation] (2)
BASF and Genomatica have signed a license agreement for the production of BDO based on biobased feedstock using Genomatica’s patented process. The license agreement allows BASF to build a world-scale production facility and BASF has secured rights to allow production of up to 75,000 tons per year. BASF has been producing commercial volumes of biobased BDO, offering it to customers for testing and commercial use through its website. However, so far, there is no evidence that BASF has started the construction of the world-scale production facility. The information about the license agreement has been deleted from Genomatica website.
- Cargill and HELM [Direct fermentation] (12)
Cargill and HELM have established a joint venture (Qore) focused on producing 1,4-butanediol (BDO) under the brand QIRA. As part of the agreement, both companies are investing a combined 300 M$ to build the first biobased BDO plant in USA. Qore has licensed Genomatica’s BDO process technology. The plant will be completed and operating in 2024 and initially produce and distribute an expected 65 ktons per year minimally of QIRA.
- Genomatica [Direct fermentation] (3)
Genomatica is a California-based company that has developed a patented process (GENO BDO™), which uses a specially engineered microbe for BDO production directly via fermentation of sugars.
- Novamont [Direct fermentation] (4)
It established a JV with Genomatica for the first dedicated industrial plant that can produce BDO directly from sugars, through fermentation processes. The plant, opened in 2016, is the result of the regeneration of the former BioItalia/Ajinomoto site in Adria. It produces 30,000 tons of biobased BDO per year.
- Shandong Landian Biological Technology [Succinic acid via] (5)
According to its website, this Chinese company is producing succinic acid by microbial fermentation and transforming the succinic acid into BDO through esterification, hydrogenation and purification. There are no references available for its current production capacity.

Actors – Suspended/idle projects
- BioAmber [Succinic acid via] (6,7)
It planned to produce BDO from its biobased succinic acid. In 2010, it licensed DuPont’s hydrogenation catalyst technology. It produced several tons of biobased BDO and THF at a toll facility in Germany. In 2014, it signed a take-or-pay contract for BDO with Vinmar International. Under the terms of the 15-year master off-take agreement, Vinmar committed to purchase 100% of the BDO produced in a 100,000 ton per year capacity plant that BioAmber planned to build in North America and commission in 2017. In 2015, it secured the right to license the JM Davy’ hydrogenation catalyst technology for that planned plant. BioAmber filed for bankruptcy in 2018. LCY Biosciences acquired its biobased succinic acid plant and equipment and resumed operations in 2020. But, there is no evidence that the company moves forward with BDO projects.
- DSM [Direct fermentation] (8)
In 2013, DSM approved BDO made with Genomatica’s process for use in their co-polyester product lines. It confirmed that PBT made with BDO from Genomatica’s process has equivalent properties to PBT made from fossil BDO. Additional activities were not reported after that.
- DuPont Tate & Lyle BioProducts [Direct fermentation] (9)
In 2013, it announced the first successful commercial-scale production of BDO using the Genomatica’s process. The campaign, which spanned five weeks in late 2012, produced more than over 2 ktons of BDO by direct fermentation using conventional sugars as feedstock. Additional activities were not reported after that.
- Toray [Direct fermentation] (10)
In 2013, Toray has successfully made a partially biobased PBT using BDO made with Genomatica’s technology. Additional activities were not reported after that.

Market
- Global BDO production in 2020: 2 Mtons (11).
- Global biobased BDO production: 30 ktons (Novamont). There are no reliable data on the production capacity of other producers.

References
(1) Weastra, S.R.O. (2013) “WP 8.1. Determination of market potential for selected platform chemicals: Itaconic acid, Succinic acid, 2,5-Furandicarboxylic acid”, Report for BioConSepT FP7 project.
(2) BASF news: “Joint News Release of BASF and Genomatica”, 05/03/2015.
(3) Genomatica website.
(6) E4tech, RE-CORD and WUR (2015) “From the Sugar Platform to biofuels and biochemicals”. Final report for the European Commission, contract No. ENER/C2/423-2012/SI2.673791.
(7) Sofinnova Partners news: “BioAmber Signs BDO Take-or-Pay Contract for Planned 100,000 Ton Plant”, 22/01/20214.
(10) Toray news: “Toray succeeds in production of bio-based PBT and part samples-Progressing towards commercialization of bio-based PBT from BDO made using Genomatica’s bio-based process technology”, 12/02/2013. (11) De Bari, I.; Giuliano, A.; Petrone, M.T.; Stoppiello, G.; Fatta, V.; Giardi, C.; Razza, F.; Novelli, A. From Cardoon Lignocellulosic Biomass to Bio-1,4 Butanediol: An Integrated Biorefinery Model. Processes 2020, 8, 1585. https://doi.org/10.3390/pr8121585.

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