E. Coli can create high-energy biofuel

Since 1970s it is possible to alter cell's genome by inserting foreign DNA into a cell. This recombinant technology has been widely used in medicine. The most meaningful example is the production of insulin. This technology allows to insert the human gene for a determined protein in E. Coli (for example) and this bacteria started to produced the protein with is own machinery.

Recently, some researchers took one step further. They aim to designed one "assembly line" to produce a high-energy alcohol. This alcohol as they want to make it is not naturally synthesized and that is why this is quiet an achievment.


The process of producing a alcohol is also far more complex than producing a protein as insulin. In the cell there are several proteins involved in this process and they aim to extend it to in the end have a more energetic alcohol.


Researchers were already capable of producing alcohols containing between five and eight carbons whereas ethanol only has two. Larger molecules are more energetic which is the big goal here.

Physical catalysts can make this process too but biologically the process is more controlled and can happen at lower temperatures and pressures. Biologically, once the correct genes are designed (the difficult part) and in place in the bacterial genome it is just necessary to the feed the bacterias; they do the rest of the work. This high-energy molecule can substitute petroleum as a raw material for different industries suppressing our fuel necessities.