Microbe Produce Fuels Directly from Biomass

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Joint Bioenergy Institute (JBEI), have developed a microbe that can produce an advanced biofuel directly fom biomass.  Diploying the tools of synthetic iology, the JBEI researchers engineered a strain of Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria to produce biodiesel fuel and other important chemicals derived from fatty acids. "The fact that our microbes can produce a diesel fuel directly from biomass with no additional chemical modifications is exciting and important, says Jay Keasling, the CEO for JBEI. "Given that the costs of recovering biodiesel are no where near the costs reqired to distill ethanol, we believe  our results can significantly contribute to the ultimate goal of producing scalable and cost effective advanced biofuels and renewable chemicals."

source:  Lynn Yarris, Lawrence Berkley National Lab.