Biofuel alternatives to ethanol: pumping the microbial well
Engineered microorganisms are currently used for the production of food products, pharmaceuticals, ethanol fuel and more. Even so, the enormous potential of this technology has yet to be fully exploited. The need for sustainable sources of transportation fuels has gener-ated a tremendous interest in technologies that enable biofuel production. Decades of work have produced a considerable knowledge-base for the physiology and pathway engineering of microbes, making microbial engineering an ideal strategy for producing biofuel. Although ethanol currently dominates the biofuel mar-ket, some of its inherent physical properties make it a less than ideal product. To highlight additional options, we review advances in microbial engineering for the production of other potential fuel molecules, using a variety of biosynthetic pathways.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- Physical Biosciences Division
- DOE Contract Number:
- DE-AC02-05CH11231
- OSTI ID:
- 983089
- Report Number(s):
- LBNL-3256E; TRBIDM; TRN: US201014%%402
- Journal Information:
- Trends in Biotechnology, Vol. 26, Issue 7; Related Information: Journal Publication Date: 2008; ISSN 0167-7799
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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