Sulfuric acid treated corn fiber hydrolysate (SACFH) inhibited cell growth and the production of butanol (4.7 +/- 0.2 g/L) by Clostridium beijerinckii IB4 in P2 medium. Optimal medium components were determined using fractional factorial design. NH4HCO3, FeSO4.7H(2)O and CaCO3 were demonstrated to be significant components in the production of butanol. The Box-Behnken design and a corresponding quadratic model were used to predict medium components (NH4HCO3 1.96 g/L, FeSO4.7H(2)O 0.26 g/L and CaCO3 3.15 g/L) and butanol yield (9.5 g/L). The confirmation experiment, under the predicted optimal conditions, yielded a butanol level of 9.5 +/- 0.1 g/L. This study indicates that the Box-Behnken design is an effective approach for screening the optimal medium components required for the production of butanol. It also demonstrates that SACFH, which has high levels of inhibitors such as furan and phenolic compounds, may be used as a renewable carbon source in the production of biofuels. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.