South Korea to produce biobutanol

South Korea aims to acquire the technology to develop products made from biofuel, or fuel derived from organic matter, by 2010, the Korean government said in November. The Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy said 20 billion won (US$21.63 million) will be spent by September 2010 to secure the skills to make biobutanol and other synthetic fuel products from biomass, coal and natural gas. The ministry said that the government will provide 11.3 billion won (US$12.22 million), while the rest will be provided by companies such as GS Caltex, SK Engineering and Construction and the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology. The ministry spokesman said if the country’s efforts are successful, it should be able to build test bed facilities for production of biobutanol, synthetic diesel and natural gas hydrate by the end of 2010. (November 20, 2007)