Energy is one of the most complex fields of study and an issue that influences nearly every aspect of modern life. Over the past century, combustion of fossil fuels, particularly in the transportation sector, has been the dominant form of energy release. Refining of petroleum and natural gas into liquid transportation fuels is also the centerpiece of the modern chemical industry used to produce materials, solvents, and other consumer goods. In the face of global climate change, the world is searching for alternative, sustainable means of producing energy carriers and chemical building blocks. The use of biofuels in engines predates modern refinery optimization and today represents a small but significant fraction of liquid transportation fuels burnt each year. Similarly, white biotechnology has been used to produce many natural products through fermentation. The evolution of recombinant DNA technology into modern synthetic biology has expanded the scope of biofuels and bioproducts that can be made by biocatalysts. This opinion examines the current trends in this research space, highlighting the substantial growth in computational tools and the growing influence of renewable electricity in the design of metabolic engineering strategies. In short, advanced biofuel and bioproduct synthesis remains a vibrant and critically important field of study whose focus is shifting away from the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass towards a broader consideration of how to reduce carbon dioxide to fuels and chemical products.
Cordell, William T., et al. "Milligrams to kilograms: making microbes work at scale." Trends in Biotechnology, vol. 41, no. 11, Nov. 2023. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tibtech.2023.05.002
Cordell, William T., Avolio, Gennaro, Takors, Ralf, & Pfleger, Brian F. (2023). Milligrams to kilograms: making microbes work at scale. Trends in Biotechnology, 41(11). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tibtech.2023.05.002
Cordell, William T., Avolio, Gennaro, Takors, Ralf, et al., "Milligrams to kilograms: making microbes work at scale," Trends in Biotechnology 41, no. 11 (2023), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tibtech.2023.05.002
@article{osti_2279197,
author = {Cordell, William T. and Avolio, Gennaro and Takors, Ralf and Pfleger, Brian F.},
title = {Milligrams to kilograms: making microbes work at scale},
annote = {Energy is one of the most complex fields of study and an issue that influences nearly every aspect of modern life. Over the past century, combustion of fossil fuels, particularly in the transportation sector, has been the dominant form of energy release. Refining of petroleum and natural gas into liquid transportation fuels is also the centerpiece of the modern chemical industry used to produce materials, solvents, and other consumer goods. In the face of global climate change, the world is searching for alternative, sustainable means of producing energy carriers and chemical building blocks. The use of biofuels in engines predates modern refinery optimization and today represents a small but significant fraction of liquid transportation fuels burnt each year. Similarly, white biotechnology has been used to produce many natural products through fermentation. The evolution of recombinant DNA technology into modern synthetic biology has expanded the scope of biofuels and bioproducts that can be made by biocatalysts. This opinion examines the current trends in this research space, highlighting the substantial growth in computational tools and the growing influence of renewable electricity in the design of metabolic engineering strategies. In short, advanced biofuel and bioproduct synthesis remains a vibrant and critically important field of study whose focus is shifting away from the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass towards a broader consideration of how to reduce carbon dioxide to fuels and chemical products.},
doi = {10.1016/j.tibtech.2023.05.002},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/2279197},
journal = {Trends in Biotechnology},
issn = {ISSN 0167-7799},
number = {11},
volume = {41},
place = {United States},
publisher = {Elsevier},
year = {2023},
month = {11}}
Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, Madison, WI (United States); University of Illinois, Champaign, IL (United States); University of Wisconsin-Madison; University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI (United States); Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE; USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
Grant/Contract Number:
AR0001503; SC0018409; SC0018420; SC0022207
OSTI ID:
2279197
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 2293506
Journal Information:
Trends in Biotechnology, Journal Name: Trends in Biotechnology Journal Issue: 11 Vol. 41; ISSN 0167-7799