A group of researchers from cooperating universities (UC Berkeley, UMN, and UB) mixed chemistry and biology by genetically engineering sugar-eating bacteria to produce the ingredients for fuel.

By converting sugar (glucose) into fuel, the researchers make an effort to create a new type of sustainable biofuel, which could prove to be a great solution to cover the transitional period toward full electric transportation.

The team published their findings in the science journal Nature Chemistry. In their paper, they describe how they genetically engineered a harmless strain of E. coli to convert glucose into hydrocarbons (olefins, to be specific).

To grow the microbes, researchers add them to flasks filled with nutrients. To increase oxygen flow, the flasks are shaken in an incubator - *(Image Credit: Douglas Levere / University at Buffalo)*

Not just fuel

Dr. Zhen Q. Wang from the Department of Biological Sciences, University at Buffalo, lead author of the study, jokingly described the engineered E. coli bacteria as 'sugar junkies' that are worse than our kids as they live solely on a diet of glucose.

Wang noted that the resulting olefins could also be used in other products asides from fuel (think of plastics and lubricants). Although additional molecules are needed to produce gasoline, scientists are likely to be able to adjust the process to produce other types of hydrocarbons as well.

The E. coli strains used in the study were genetically modified to generate a set of four enzymes that convert glucose to 3-hydroxy fatty acids. Then, as the bacteria digested the glucose, they began to create fatty acids as well. These fatty assets then get chemically modified with niobium pentoxide, removing undesirable particles resulting in the desired olefins.

Renewable

Plants absorb co2 from the air, and combined with water, they turn these components into glucose and oxygen, which means that the olefin end product is derived from co2 that has previously been pulled out of the environment.

We are in a transition period where we slowly turn from vehicles powered by internal combustion engines towards electric vehicles. A renewable fuel produced by bacteria could be valuable in large ships, aircraft, or semi-trucks, as these are not yet ready to run on electric power.

Although future products like the Tesla semi-truck might instigate change for more and more heavy transport, we will still have quite some time where we are still dependant on combustion engines.

Currently most freight transport is done with use of internal combustion engines - *(Image Credit: Vitaliy Kaplin via Shutterstock / HDR tune by Universal-Sci)(*

Scaling

There is still a lot of work to be done to make biofuel produced by bacteria a viable solution, as scientists need to figure out how to scale it efficiently with low variable costs.

Another important aspect ripe for improvement is yield. According to Dr. Wang, as of this moment, 100 glucose molecules are needed to create approximately eight olefin molecules. She and her team are looking to boost that ratio by getting the E.coli bacteria to produce more fatty acids at the same level of glucose consumption.

As mentioned earlier, the team published their findings in Nature Chemistry. We listed the paper below for those interested.

Sources and further reading: