Cyanobacteria for biofuel production
Professor Malcolm Brown Jr. and Dr. David Nobles Jr. from the University of Texas (Austin) have created cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) that produce cellulose suitable for processing into ethanol and other types of biofuels.
Scientists claim that such cyanobacteria can be grown in specialized industrial premises, or on uncultivated soils using salt water unsuitable for human needs and agriculture.
Cyanobacteria use sunlight as an energy source, and the carbohydrates synthesized at the same time can be obtained almost constantly without damaging microorganisms (obtaining cellulose and other carbohydrates from non-microscopic algae or plants requires their grinding, enzymatic processing and the use of mechanical extraction methods). In addition, cyanobacteria absorb nitrogen from the air and do not need artificial fertilizers.
The authors created their cyanobacteria by embedding into the genome of a common strain of microorganisms a specialized complex of genes of non-photosynthetic "acetic" bacteria Acetobacter xylinum, known for their ability to actively synthesize cellulose.
The new cyanobacteria synthesize relatively pure, gel-like cellulose, easily cleaved to glucose. In addition, it unexpectedly turned out that they also produce quite a large amount of glucose and sucrose – soluble carbohydrates that can be easily isolated from the culture medium of microorganisms.
Experts say that such cyanobacteria will avoid huge financial costs for the enzymatic and mechanical processing of traditional raw materials used for the production of biofuels: millet, wood waste, corn and sugar cane. Moreover, the transition of the biofuel sector to the use of cyanobacteria will significantly reduce the burden on agricultural land.
Currently, scientists are busy optimizing methods of working with cyanobacteria. They have already filed two patent applications and hope that in the near future they will be able to establish an efficient and cost-effective production of biofuels using cyanobacteria.
Portal "Eternal youth" www.vechnayamolodost.ru based on ScienceDaily materials
25.04.2008