Synthetic e.coli for biofuel?

StraitsTimes.com
Dec 9, 2008

CHICAGO - US RESEARCHER have engineered a synthetic version of the common e. coli bacteria that could help build a better biofuel, according to a study published on Monday.

By altering the basic genetic structure of the bacteria, researchers were able to stimulate it to produce long-chain alcohols that are denser in energy than those found in nature.

Ethanol, one of the leading sources of biofuel, contains just two carbon atoms, and the most common naturally-produced long-chain alcohols contain no more than five carbon atoms.

But alcohols produced for the e. coli study by the University of California's Los Angeles lab contain up to eight carbon atoms, which means they pack a lot more energy.

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