Title: Designer organisms for photosynthetic production of ethanol from carbon dioxide and water

Abstract

The present invention provides a revolutionary photosynthetic ethanol production technology based on designer transgenic plants, algae, or plant cells. The designer plants, designer algae, and designer plant cells are created such that the endogenous photosynthesis regulation mechanism is tamed, and the reducing power (NADPH) and energy (ATP) acquired from the photosynthetic water splitting and proton gradient-coupled electron transport process are used for immediate synthesis of ethanol (CH.sub.3CH.sub.2OH) directly from carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2) and water (H.sub.2O). The ethanol production methods of the present invention completely eliminate the problem of recalcitrant lignocellulosics by bypassing the bottleneck problem of the biomass technology. The photosynthetic ethanol-production technology of the present invention is expected to have a much higher solar-to-ethanol energy-conversion efficiency than the current technology and could also help protect the Earth's environment from the dangerous accumulation of CO.sub.2 in the atmosphere.

Inventors:

Lee, James Weifu ^[1]

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1. Knoxville, TN

Issue Date:

Tue Jul 05 00:00:00 EDT 2011

Research Org.:

UT-Battelle LLC/ORNL, Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:

USDOE

OSTI Identifier:

1019564

Patent Number(s):

7973214

Application Number:

US Patent Application 7,973,214

Assignee:

UT-Battelle, LLC (Oak Ridge, TN)

Patent Classifications (CPCs):

C - CHEMISTRY C12 - BIOCHEMISTRY C12N - MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES

C - CHEMISTRY C12 - BIOCHEMISTRY C12P - FERMENTATION OR ENZYME-USING PROCESSES TO SYNTHESISE A DESIRED CHEMICAL COMPOUND OR COMPOSITION OR TO SEPARATE OPTICAL ISOMERS FROM A RACEMIC MIXTURE {

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C - CHEMISTRY C12 - BIOCHEMISTRY C12N - MICROORGANISMS OR ENZYMES

C12N15/52 - Genes encoding for enzymes or proenzymes
C12N15/8243 - {involving biosynthetic or metabolic pathways, i.e. metabolic engineering, e.g. nicotine, caffeine}
C12N15/8245 - {involving modified carbohydrate or sugar alcohol metabolism, e.g. starch biosynthesis}
C12N15/8269 - {Photosynthesis}

C - CHEMISTRY C12 - BIOCHEMISTRY C12P - FERMENTATION OR ENZYME-USING PROCESSES TO SYNTHESISE A DESIRED CHEMICAL COMPOUND OR COMPOSITION OR TO SEPARATE OPTICAL ISOMERS FROM A RACEMIC MIXTURE {

C12P7/065 - {with microorganisms other than yeasts}

Y - NEW / CROSS SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES Y02 - TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE Y02E - REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION

Y02E50/10 - Biofuels

Y - NEW / CROSS SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES Y02 - TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE Y02P - CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS

Y02P60/20 - Reduction of greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions in agriculture

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DOE Contract Number:  

AC05-00OR22725

Resource Type:

Patent

Country of Publication:

United States

Language:

English

Subject:

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES