Stanford University Researchers Find E. coli Could Convert Sugars to Biodiesel at Extraordinary Rate

Biofuels Journal
Date Posted: November 11, 2011
by Louis Bergeron

When it comes to making biodiesel cheaply and efficiently enough to be commercially feasible, E. coli may prove to be "the little bacterial engine that could," say Stanford researchers.

Biodiesel can be made from plant oil or animal fat – usually the former.

Used cooking oil from restaurants is common, but for biodiesel to contribute significantly to reducing fossil fuel use, there needs to be a way to mass produce it from plant-derived raw materials.

The problem is that synthesizing biodiesel is complicated. That is where E. coli comes in.

Read more