From Stomach Bug to Biofuel

BayCitizen.org
By Ambika Kandasamy, SF Public Press on September 1, 2010 - 5:02 p.m. PDT

Berkeley scientists use E. coli to produce green energy alternative
A team of local biotech researchers may have found a way to avoid using essential food crops for fuel, by genetically modifying harmless strains of a bacteria most people associate with human food poisoning.

The result is an extremely expensive fuel — hardly competitive with fossil fuels at $25 per gallon — but it marks the beginning of a new look at green energy.

Scientists led by University of California, Berkeley professor Jay Keasling created an alternative for biodiesel production harnessing E. coli, the bacteria responsible for some foodborne illnesses.

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