It sounds like science fiction but a team from the University of Exeter, with support from Shell, has developed a method to make bacteria produce diesel on demand.
While the technology still faces many significant commercialisation challenges, the diesel, produced by special strains of E. coli bacteria, is almost identical to conventional diesel fuel and so does not need to be blended with petroleum products as is often required by biodiesels derived from plant oils. This 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’.
Professor John Love from Biosciences at the University of Exeter said: “Producing a commercial biofuel that can be used without needing to modify vehicles has been the goal of this project from the outset. 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. Global demand for energy is rising and a fuel that is independent of both global oil price fluctuations and political instability is an increasingly attractive prospect.”
E. coli bacteria naturally turn sugars into fat to build their cell membranes. Synthetic fuel oil molecules can be created by harnessing this natural oil production process. Large scale manufacturing usingE. coli as the catalyst is already commonplace in the pharmaceutical industry and, although the biodiesel is currently produced in tiny quantities in the laboratory, work will continue to see if this may be a viable commercial pathway to ‘drop in’ fuels.
The Latest Bing News on:
Bacteria produce diesel
- Vertex Energy pauses renewable diesel output to switch back to fossil fuelson May 9, 2024 at 1:43 pm
U.S. refiner Vertex Energy said on Thursday it will pause renewable diesel production at its refinery in Mobile, Alabama, and convert it to produce fossil fuels instead, citing macroeconomic woes ...
- Bear market for diesel spells fresh troubles for oilon May 9, 2024 at 2:50 am
Profit margins for diesel are slumping as new refineries boost supplies and as mild weather in the northern hemisphere and slow economic activity eat into demand, putting oil prices under further ...
- Biomanufacturing isn’t cleaning up chemicalson April 21, 2024 at 5:00 pm
MicroByre is cataloging the bacteria growing on waste biomass and the molecules they produce naturally. “Where is the organism . . . that’s going to eat a waste feedstock and produce a ...
- Scraping Bottomon April 18, 2024 at 6:29 pm
Within a 20-mile radius of Boucher's office are a total of six mines that produce nearly three-quarters ... depths shallow and cool enough for bacteria to thrive. Those bacteria degraded the ...
- Why is the air quality bad today? 'Very unhealthy' air quality in Oklahoma Cityon April 9, 2024 at 7:21 am
Both pollutants often derive from different emission sources, like the combustion of gasoline, oil diesel fuel or wood produce ... pollen and fragments of bacteria. PM2.5: Particles that are ...
- Push to Turn Farm Manure into Renewable Energy Draws Concernson December 6, 2023 at 4:00 pm
His company has built farm-based methane systems around the country that produce enough fuel to displace six million gallons of diesel fuel and 80,000 cars ... point out that exposing manure to heat ...
- Bacteria may hold key to solving EV battery headacheon November 20, 2023 at 10:01 pm
During the process, the bacteria produce nano-sized particles of the ... with car manufacturers facing high charges for each petrol or diesel engine above that threshold. The growing market ...
- Mining And Refining: Graphiteon November 9, 2023 at 3:03 am
Credit: OpenStax, CC By 4.0 While all these dead bacteria are the ultimate source ... and while they produce extremely high-purity graphite, it comes at quite a price. Synthetic graphite is ...
- New renewable energy sourceson September 14, 2021 at 2:32 pm
Bacteria in the fuel cell feed on waste chemicals ... but we still use a lot of gas for heating homes and petrol and diesel for cars and transport. Finding new sources of renewable energy might ...
- The End of Cheap Oilon August 16, 2020 at 9:43 am
The world can still produce so much crude that the current ... the Earth's crust and was degraded into tar by groundwater and bacteria. Most of the tar sand lies too deep or in deposits too ...
The Latest Google Headlines on:
Bacteria produce diesel
[google_news title=”” keyword=”bacteria produce diesel” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”] [/vc_column_text]The Latest Bing News on:
Synthetic fuel oil
- Used car owners issued fresh warning as drivers at risk of 'destroying' partson May 10, 2024 at 9:02 pm
“Not to mention the increase in fuel consumption you are sure to notice.” They stress that motorists should have regular oil and filter changes to counter any problems. Scotty added: “They are kind of ...
- Oil Spills Newson May 9, 2024 at 4:59 pm
Exquisitely Thin Membranes Can Slash Energy Spent Refining Crude Oil Into Fuel and Plastic Sep. 29, 2022 — Scientists have created a new type of nanomembrane that presents a less energy ...
- Occidental Petroleum’s net-zero strategy is a ‘license to pollute,’ critics sayon May 9, 2024 at 3:05 am
What we have to do is phase out fossil fuels, not perpetuate their life.” Oxy first outlined its net-zero strategy in 2020, making it the first American oil major to do so. Today, Oxy describes that ...
- Reinvent oil refineries for a net-zero futureon May 7, 2024 at 5:00 pm
They convert crude oil into liquid fuels used in transportation, notably diesel, petrol and jet fuel. Refineries also provide chemicals and synthetic materials that are used to produce most of today’s ...
- How Some Companies Are Making Textiles More Sustainableon May 7, 2024 at 6:02 am
Producing them is a carbon-intensive process requiring more than 70 million barrels of oil each year. They are also a major contributor to microplastic pollution. Between 16% and 35% of all ...
- Can corn ethanol really help decarbonize US air travel?on May 6, 2024 at 12:29 am
Last week, the U.S. Treasury Department released a set of highly anticipated and contentious tax-credit guidelines meant to spur production of sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF.
- Why You May Soon Be Drinking Synthetic Coffeeon May 3, 2024 at 5:01 pm
Your typical morning cup of coffee is a social and environmental disaster—but you’ll soon have the option to start sipping something less harmful: synthetic coffee. Worldwide, people consume ...
- Canada’s oil and gas emissions continue to riseon May 3, 2024 at 2:16 am
New data shows Canada's greenhouse gas emissions are creeping up but still remain below pre-pandemic levels. But with oil and gas production pushing the sector's emissions higher, all eyes are on ...
- Carbon-Eating Bacteria May Hold The Key To Decarbonizationon May 2, 2024 at 4:00 pm
A U.S.-based biotechnology firm is using carbon-eating bacteria to turn emissions from steel mills, refineries, and other heavily polluting industrial processes into ethanol and chemicals ...
- New documents show oil executives promoted natural gas as green — but knew it wasn’ton May 2, 2024 at 11:42 am
A trove of documents released ahead of a congressional hearing shows BP acknowledging that gas wasn't as climate-friendly as promised.
The Latest Google Headlines on:
Synthetic fuel oil
[google_news title=”” keyword=”synthetic fuel oil” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
