The reporter recently learned from Beijing University of Chemical Technology that the process of producing acetone and butanol using the corn fermentation method developed by the university has a butanol yield of 70%, a starch conversion rate of 25%, and a fermentation process of only 36 hours. The process is short. The raw material utilization rate is high. The process has maintained a “zero†rate for four consecutive years in pilot production at the North China Pharmaceutical Factory's 107 workshop, setting a record for the best in the industry in the country, significantly reducing production costs.
Acetone and butanol are two very important chemical raw materials and solvents in industrial processes. With the development of downstream industries in recent years, the market demand for acetone and butanol has risen. It is understood that the annual consumption of acetone and butanol in China exceeds 500,000 tons, but the production capacity is less than 400,000 tons, and large amounts of acetone and butanol are required to be imported each year.