Gevo an advanced biofuels company has commenced work to upgrade its ethanol facility in Minnesota, US, to produce biobased isobutanol.
The upgrade will enable the facility located in Luverne to become the world’s first commercial-scale biobased isobutanol plant.
The upgrade work will be complete next year at the plan, which was purchased from Agri-Energy in 2010.
The plant has an isobutanol production capacity of 18 million gallons per year.
Gevo CEO Patrick Gruber said Isobutanol can be used to make a variety of everyday products such as rubber, plastics and fuel, and it can also help displace our country’s dependency on petroleum.
Gruber said "Through this retrofit, Gevo is providing a high-value product that supports our nation’s agriculture industry."