Bioengineers develop bacterial strain to hike ethanol biofuel production

sify.com
2010-12-10 16:30:00

US bioengineers have developed a strain of bacteria to increase its ability to produce ethanol.

The research reveals how adaptation and metabolic engineering can be combined for strain improvement, a positive development for the biofuel industry.

The team focused their research on Zymomonas mobilis, a bacterium noted for its bio-ethanol producing potential. However, the team believed that ethanol production could be increased through improvement of xylose fermentation.

"Zymomonas mobilis is a superb ethanol producer with productivity exceeding yeast strains by several fold," said lead author Rachel Chen from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

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