Genetically modified e.coli could soon be used to make more efficient forms of biofuel
It may be best known for giving people food poisoning, but according to researchers at UCLA the e.coli bacteria could soon be used to make a form of " unusual" alcohol-based biofuel that is significantly more energy efficient than current versions of bio-ethanol.
The team of researchers have developed a process that involves genetically engineering the e.coli bacteria to make it more suitable for producing alcohol compounds. The resulting compounds have a longer molecular chain than ethanol, effectively putting more energy into the same space.
The higher the number of carbon atoms in an alcohol's molecular chain, the more efficient it is as a fuel. It contains a higher octane count, and is easier to separate from water. Ethanol has a molecular chain of just two carbon atoms, while the alcohols produced by the e.coli bacteria top out at eight atoms.
UCLA professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering James Liao worked with post-doctoral fellow Shota Atsumi and visiting professor Taizo Hanai at the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science to develop the technique.
"These results mean that these unusual alcohols in fact can be manufactured as efficiently as what evolved in nature for ethanol," said Liao. "Therefore, we now can explore these unusual alcohols as biofuels and are not bound by what nature has given us."
E.coli is mostly commonly known as a cause of severe illness when ingested in contaminated food
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© Incisive Media Ltd. 2009
