Berkeley Lab Scientists Develop Bacterial Strain for One-Pot Biofuel Production
May 18, 2016http://newscenter.lbl.gov/2016/05/10/one-pot-recipe-for-jet-fuel/
|
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have developed a strain that enables a "one-pot" method for biofuel production from pre-treated plant material.
Ionic liquids are used to break down plant biomass. However, this same salt solvent impedes activity of the bacteria and the enzymes in later stages in biofuel production, requiring another step for removing the liquid. Hence, developing tolerant bacteria eliminates the need of another step in biofuel production.
The team found that an amino acid mutation in the E. coli rcdA gene leads to high tolerance to ionic liquids. The team used this strain as well as the ionic-liquid-tolerant enzymes from previous studies to develop the one-pot biofuel production line.
The team was successful in developing an ionic-liquid-tolerant E. coli that could also produce ionic-liquid-tolerant enzymes that produce biofuels. While ethanol may be one of the more common products to emerge from this process, researchers have also looked to more advanced biofuels including jet fuel.
|
Biotech Updates is a weekly newsletter of ISAAA, a not-for-profit organization. It is distributed for free to over 22,000 subscribers worldwide to inform them about the key developments in biosciences, especially in biotechnology. Your support will help us in our mission to feed the world with knowledge. You can help by donating as little as $10.
-
See more articles:
-
News from Around the World
- U.S. National Academies Find Biotech Crops Not Harmful to Human Health and the Environment
- Glyphosate Unlikely Carcinogenic to Humans, Says Joint WHO/FAO Committee Report
- Cairo University Celebrates Biotech Day 2016
- FSU-Cornell Research Team Discovers 'Dark Matter' in Maize Genome
- Newly Discovered Stem Cell Pathway Will Increase Yields of Maize and Staple Crops
- Parliamentary Report Confirms Importance of Agricultural Innovation in Australia
- Bt Cotton Adoption Creates More Employment Opportunities in Female Laborers in Pakistan
- Chinese Scientists Evaluate Performance of Plant Gene as a Selectable Marker for Rice Transformation
- Agri Minister Matia Chowdhury Speaks on Biotech Efforts in Bangladesh
- First State of the World's Plants Report Launched
-
Research Highlights
- Asian Corn Borer Parasite Not Sensitive to Bt Toxin
- MdMLO19 Gene Knockdown in Apple Reduces Susceptibility to Powdery Mildew
- Researchers Analyze Rice QTL for Grain Size and Yield
-
Beyond Crop Biotech
- Scientists Genetically Engineer First Zika Virus Clone
-
Announcements
- SolGenomics Conference
-
Read the latest: - Biotech Updates (September 18, 2024)
- Gene Editing Supplement (September 11, 2024)
- Gene Drive Supplement (February 22, 2023)
-
Subscribe to BU: - Share
- Tweet