US researchers are trying to engineer a strain of bacteria that could deliver biofuel.
US researchers are trying to engineer a strain of bacteria that could deliver biofuel.
Scientists at Massachusetts Institute of Technology say they are focusing on microbes from Rhodococcus bacteria — soil-dwelling microbes that eat a variety of toxic compounds.They say that the bacteria are useful because they are hungry for a number of sugars and toxic compounds and produce lipids that can be converted to biodiesel.The bacteria is similar to the type that causes tuberculosis.
The aim of Professor Anthony Sinskey's team is to make an organism that produces biofuel, which can use a variety of fuel sources.
They have created a strain of the bacteria that can eat a mix of two types of glucose and xylose, and have also engineered strains that can feed on glycerol, a waste product of biodiesel production.
World’s Largest Biofuel Plant Inaugurated in Brazil
The world's largest biofuel plant, capable of producing 110 million litres (29 million gallons) of fuel annually from animal fat, has been inaugurated in the Brazilian capital
The world's largest biofuel plant, capable of producing 110 million litres (29 million gallons) of fuel annually from animal fat, has been inaugurated in the Brazilian capital
Two years ago a team of German scientists had said, “Plant biomass is an abundant and renewable source of energy-rich carbohydrates which can be efficiently converted by microbes into biofuels, of which, only bioethanol is produced on an industrial scale today. Biomethane is produced on a large scale, but is not yet utilised for transportation. Biobutanol is on the agenda of several companies and may be used in the near future as a supplement for gasoline, diesel and kerosene, as well as contributing to the partially biological production of butyl-t-butylether, BTBE as does bioethanol today with ETBE. Biohydrogen, biomethanol and microbially made biodiesel still require further development.”
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biofuel crops increase greenhouse gas emissions
Research studies that were carried out in an effort to deal with global warming have established that growing biofuel crops are in fact increasing green house emissions.
Research studies that were carried out in an effort to deal with global warming have established that growing biofuel crops are in fact increasing green house emissions.
Source-Medindia
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