Abstract:

The development of chemical industry is hindered by energy crisis and environment pollution，and a new model of development is urgently to be exploited. Biorefining technology with renewable resources as feedstock is proposed as one possible solution，in which 2,3-butanediol fermentation is one important issue. 2,3-Butanediol，a bulk chemical product，has extensive applications，especially in chemical processes，food，fuel and medicine. The metabolic pathway of 2,3-butanediol is briefly described，and the progress of biotechnological production of 2,3-butanediol is reviewed，including microbial strains，strains mutagenization，genetic modifications and operating conditions (substrates，pH value，aeration，temperature and fermentation mode). Finally，2,3-butanediol fermentation research directions are proposed.