Teaching microbes to produce fuel

Scientists at MIT have modified the soil bacterium, Ralstonia Eutropha, to turn carbon dioxide or waste products into fuel.

Christopher Brigham, a research scientist in MIT’s biology department, is currently attempting to get the organism to use a stream of carbon dioxide as its source of carbon, so that it could be used to make fuel out of emissions.

Brigham explained that in the microbe’s natural state, when its source of essential nutrients such as nitrate or phosphate is restricted, it will go into carbon-storage mode.

“What it does is take whatever carbon is available, and stores it in the form of a polymer, which is similar in its properties to a lot of petroleum-based plastics,” Brigham said.

By modifiying another organism and tinkering with the expression of other genes, Brigham and his colleagues were able to redirect the microbe to make fuel instead of plastic.

While the team is focusing on getting the microbe to use CO₂ as a carbon source, with slightly different modifications the same microbe could also potentially turn almost any source of carbon, including agricultural waste or municipal waste, into useful fuel.

A number of research groups are pursuing isobutanol production through various pathways, including other genetically modified organisms.

At least two companies are already gearing up to produce it as a fuel, fuel additive or feedstock for chemical production.