TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - BIOTECHNOLOGY - Preferred Microorganism: The microorganism (M1) is prepared by standard methods from a parental organism of Ralstonia species. The microorganism (M1) has a naturally occurring hydrogen and/or formate reduction pathway and at least one recombinant enzyme for the production of an intermediate in the synthesis of the alcohol. The microorganism comprises expression of a heterologous or overexpression of an endogenous carbon-fixation enzyme and heterologous or overexpression of a hydrogenase and/or formate dehydrogenase such that the microorganism can utilize H2 and/or formate as a reducing metabolite. The recombinant microorganism (M1) comprises elevated expression or activity of a 2-keto-acid decarboxylase and an alcohol dehydrogenase, as compared to a parental microorganism. The microorganism (M1) is selected from a genus of Escherichia, Corynebacterium, Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, Salmonella, Enterobacter, Enterococcus, Erwinia, Pantoea, Morganella, Pectobacterium, Proteus, Serratia, Shigella, Klebsiella, Citrobacter, Saccharomyces, Dekkera, Klyveromyces, and Pichia. The biosynthetic pathway for the production of an amino acid in the organism is modified for production of the alcohol. The microorganism comprises reduced ethanol production capability compared to a parental microorganism. The microorganism comprises a reduction or inhibition in the conversion of acetyl-coA to ethanol. The recombinant microorganism comprises a reduction of an ethanol dehydrogenase thereby providing a reduced ethanol production capability. The microorganism is derived from Escherichia coli. The ethanol dehydrogenase is (adhE), its homolog or variant. The microorganism (M1) comprises a deletion or knockout of adhE, its homolog or variant. The microorganism comprises expression or elevated expression of an enzyme that converts pyruvate to alpha-keto-isovalerate. The enzyme is 2-keto-acid decarboxylase. The recombinant microorganism comprises elevated expression or activity of a 2-keto-acid decarboxylase and an alcohol dehydrogenase, as compared to a parental microorganism. The recombinant microorganism (M1) comprises at least one deletion or knockout in a gene encoding an enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of: acetyl-coenzyme A (coA) to ethanol, pyruvate to lactate, fumarate to succinate, acetyl-coA and phosphate to coenzyme A (coA) and acetyl phosphate, acetyl-coA and formate to coA and pyruvate, condensation of the acetyl group of acetyl-CoA with 3-methyl-2-oxobutanoate (2-oxoisovalerate), isomerization between 2-isopropylmalate and 3-isopropylmalate, conversion of alpha-keto acid to branched chain amino acids, synthesis of Phe, Tyr, Asp or Leu, catalyzes the conversion of pyruvate to acetyl-coA, the formation of branched chain amino acids, formation of alpha-ketobutyrate from threonine, catalyzes the first step in methionine biosynthesis, and catalyzes the catabolism of threonine. The recombinant microorganism comprises at least one gene deletion selected from: alcohol dehydrogenase (adhE), lactate dehydrogenase (ldhA), fumarate-reductase (frdBC), fumarate/nitrate reduction regulatory gene (fnr), phosphotransacetylase (pta), pyruvate-formate lyase (pflB), isopropylmalate synthase (leuA), beta-isopropylmalate dehydrogenase (leuB), isopropylmalate isomerase (leuC, leuD), ilvE, tyrosine aminotransferase (tyrB), pyruvate oxygenase (poxB), ilvB, ilvl, threonine dehydratase (ilvA), metA, or threonine dehydrogenase (tdh), or their homologs, or naturally occurring variants. The recombinant microorganism (M1) comprises a genotype selected from: (a) a deletion or knockout selected from Delta (adhE), Delta (ldhA), Delta (pta), Delta (leuA), Delta (leuB), Delta (leuC), Delta (leuD), Delta (poxB), Delta (ilvB), Delta (ilvl), Delta (metA), and/or Delta (tdh), and comprising an expression or increased expression of kivd, ThrABC and adh2, where the microorganism produces 1-propanol; (b) a deletion or knockout selected from: Delta (adhE), Delta (ldhA), Delta (frdB), Delta (frdC), Delta (fnr), Delta (pta), Delta (pflB), Delta (leuA), Delta (ilvE), Delta (poxB), and/or Delta (ilvA), and comprising an expression or increased expression of kivd, ThrABC and adh2, where the microorganism produces isobutanol; (c) a deletion or knockout selected from: Delta (adhE), Delta (ldhA), Delta (pta), Delta (poxB), Delta (ilvB), Delta (ilvl), Delta (metA), and/or Delta (tdh), and comprising an expression or increased expression of kivd, ThrABC and adh2, where the microorganism produces 1-butanol; and (d) a deletion or knockout selected from: Delta adhE, Delta ldhA, Delta frdB, Delta frdC, Delta fnr, Delta pta, pi flB, Delta ilvE, and/or Delta tyrB, and comprising an expression or increased expression of kivd, ThrABC and adh2, the microorganism produces 3-methyl-1-butanol. Preferred Components: The 2-keto-acid decarboxylase is selected from pyruvate decarboxylases (Pdc, Pdc1, Pdc5, Pdc6), aromatic decarboxylase (Aro10), thiamine biosynthesis gene (Thi3), alpha-ketoisovalerate decarboxylase (Kivd), and keto-acid decarboxylase (KdcA), or their homologs or variants, or a polypeptide having at least 60% identity to any one of them and having 2-keto-acid decarboxylase activity. The 2-keto-acid decarboxylase is encoded by a nucleic acid sequence derived from a gene selected from Pdc, Pdc1, Pdc5, PDC6, ARO10, THI3, kivd, and KdcA, or their homologs, variants, or fragment, where the polynucleotide encodes the polypeptide having 2-keto acid decarboxylase activity. The 2-keto-acid decarboxylase is encoded by a nucleic acid sequence derived from the kivd gene, or its homolog. The alcohol dehydrogenase is Adh2, or its homolog. The 2-alcohol dehydrogenase is encoded by a nucleic acid sequence derived from the alcohol decarboxylase (ADH2) gene, or its homolog. The alcohol dehydrogenase is selected from Adh1, Adh2, Adh3, Adh4, Adh5, Adh6, S-hydoxymethyl-glutathione dehydrogenase (Sfa1), their homolog or variant, or a polypeptide having at least 60% identity to any one of the above enzymes and having alcohol dehydrogenase activity. The alcohol dehydrogenase is encoded by a polynucleotide having at least 60% identity to a nucleic acid selected from adh1, adh2, adh3, adh4, adh5, adh6, sfa1 genes, or their homolog, or the polynucleotide encodes a protein having 2-alcohol dehydrogenase activity.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Components: The 2-keto acid is selected from 2-ketobutyrate, 2-ketoisovalerate, 2-ketovalerate, 2-keto-3-methylvalerate, 2-keto-4-methyl-pentanoate, and phenylpyruvate.