Researchers Make E. Coli Turn Organic Wastes into Drop-in Biofuel

Working with oil company Shell, scientists from the UK's University of Exeter have developed a method to make E. coli produce diesel on demand while feeding on organic wastes. The researchers explained that E. coli bacteria naturally turn sugars into fat to build their cell membranes, and that synthetic fuel oil molecules can be created by harnessing this natural oil production process. The scientists also noted that large scale manufacturing using E. coli as the catalyst is already commonplace in the pharmaceutical industry. According to the university the diesel produced by special strains of E. coli bacteria is almost identical to conventional diesel fuel, which means that it does not need to be blended with petroleum products as is often required by biodiesels derived from plant oils. Drop in fuel It also means that the diesel can be used with current supplies in existing infrastructure because engines, pipelines and tankers do not need to be modified. Biofuels with these characteristics are being termed ‘drop-ins’. “Producing a commercial biofuel that can be used without needing to modify vehicles has been the goal of this project from the outset, explained Professor John Love from Biosciences at the University of Exeter. "Replacing conventional diesel with a carbon neutral biofuel in commercial volumes would be a tremendous step towards meeting our target of an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050," he added. Hurdles However, the researchers admit that there are significant challenges yet to be overcome before the technology is commercially viable, and according to a report in The Sunday Times at the moment it takes about 24 hours to make a teaspoon of diesel from 100 litres of bacteria. Although the biodiesel is currently produced in tiny quantities in the laboratory, the researchers said that work will continue to see if this may be a viable commercial pathway to ‘drop in’ fuels. “While the technology still faces several hurdles to commercialisation, by exploring this new method of creating biofuel, along with other intelligent technologies, we hope they could help us to meet the challenges of limiting the rise in carbon dioxide emissions while responding to the growing global requirement for transport fuel,” added Rob Lee from Shell Projects & Technology. This work was supported by a grant from Shell Research and a Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) Industry Interchange Partnership Grant. Read More Free Webcast - Accelerating Waste to Fuels: A Commercial and Viable Solution? Trial projects have successfully converted municipal solid waste into a useable, second generation biofuel. Commercialization is now in full swing with the UK, US and Canada leading the way. Tune into WMW’s new webcast to find out more! Speakers to include the NNFCC, Solena Fuels and Enerkem... Waste to Biofuel and Chemicals Project Funded in Hawaii A zero waste biofuel and high protein feed program in Hilo, Hawaii has been awarded $200,000 by the state Department of Agriculture at a special open house event at the USDA Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center. First Waste to Biofuel Demonstration Plant for Abengoa Abengoa has opened a demonstration facility which will process 25,000 tonnes per year of waste into 1.5 million litres of bioethanol in Salamanca, Spain. New Method to Harvest Hydrogen from Waste Incinerator Bottom Ash A researcher from Sweden has developed a technique to produce hydrogen gas from the bottom ash left after waste has been incinerated at waste to energy facilities.