Of all the bacteria that we know by name, E. coli is among the most reviled – second only to, perhaps, methicillin-resistant staph (MRSA). It’s a nasty little bug, causing serious illness when transmitted to humans through food. But this deadly bacterium may just be the key to a new type of biofuel made from agricultural byproducts like wood chips.
California researchers, along with biofuel start-up LS9, claim that they’ve achieved a breakthrough in using genetically modified E. coli to convert non-food biomass into fuel.
From CNET:
Next week, LS9 will announce the planned location of a demonstration facility in the U.S. to convert sugar cane into biodiesel using an existing organism, said Stephen del Cardayre, the vice president of research and development at the company. That plant, which will use an existing microorganism, will open this summer and pave the way for large-scale manufacturing and sales in 2012, he said.
Its research with the University of California and the Department of Energy also focuses on a single-step biorefinery process. But researchers tuned another strain of e. coli that can work with different feedstocks, such as straw or wood. Those cellulosic feedstocks are typically harder to convert into fuel through fermentation than sugar cane or corn, but offer the potential of lower overall greenhouse gas emissions.
Considering the major drawbacks of growing plants for use as biofuel, innovations like these could transform the entire industry – if they work. It’s pretty amazing that we’ve been relying on fossil fuels all this time when we could have been using bacteria and waste products.
Link [CNET]
Photo credit: Think Geek
