Filed under: Ethanol
Dartmouth researchers create new ethanol-producing bacteria
Mascoma Corp is one of the two cellulosic ethanol companies that General Motors invested in earlier this year. Dr. Lee Lynd is one of Mascoma's co-founders and he and his collaborators at Dartmouth College have published a paper that gives some more insight into Mascoma's process. They have created a new genetically-engineered bacteria aimed at producing ethanol from biomass. The key to this new microbe is its ability to function at higher temperatures than the naturally-occurring types that have been used previously. The natural bacteria can't function at temperatures above 37°C and require a significant amount of cellulase enzyme which greatly increases the cost of the process. By operating at temperatures above 50°C, the new microbe requires only 40 percent of the amount of cellulase. The natural bacteria also produce another by-product besides ethanol, organic acids. The resulting output then needs further processing to separate the alcohol from the acid. The genetically-engineered microbes apparently produce no acids, with the fuel being the only product. [Source: NewScientistTech]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
SteveCT 11:35AM (9/14/2008)
Great! Now all they have to do is invent a strain of bacteria that can replenish the soil that gets depleted by using biomass for ethanol instead of leaving it on the field to biodegrade. And another one that can capture the 90-plus years' worth of CO2 that gets released when you clear out the natural vegetation to grow the biomass.
OR, we could put our money into battery technology and stop wasting our time trying to make use of the idiotic, inefficient ICE that Detroit has foisted on us for so long.
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jpm100 3:21PM (9/14/2008)
When we farm, we take the most nutritious part of the plant for food. The parts or plants that are required for cellulosic ethanol are relatively nutrition poor wrt ground nutrients.
gordon 3:58PM (9/14/2008)
I don't like the internal combustion engine but I do like finding new ways to fuel it. Algae based ethanol makes sense for use in a large number of automobiles that can't be converted to run on electricity because of cost.
http://www.ecobeater.com
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