Altering Lipid Metabolism to Produce Hydrocarbon Biofuels

A relatively young start-up company is making an attempt to enter the energy market by producing what is essentially gasoline. However, the hydrocarbons which are produced are not derived from petroleum, but from genetically modified bacteria engineered to produce alkanes. Researchers at LS9 have found ways to modify the pathways used for lipid metabolism, namely by promoting enzymes which remove the carboxyl ends from fatty acid chains (decarboxylase). They have identified a group of genes in cyanobacteria which seem to allow the production of alkanes and have spliced them into other species of bacteria, namely E. coli. They are hoping to industrialize the process and eventually make their fuel marketable in the long run.

Some of the benefits of using this particular approach to energy production is that, because the fuel produced consists of hydrocarbons, it has a high energy density, which means it is more portable and effective than other biofuels like ethanol. Depending on how it is implemented, it can be renewable. It also uses the existing infrastructure for producing, transporting, and consuming petroleum-based fuels, meaning it can more effectively implemented on the consumer level than other renewable energy sources (notably making use of the internal combustion engine). Finally, there are little to no sulfur contaminants from the fuel, which means it produces less toxic chemicals when burnt. The most fundamental problem is that it is not cost-effective compared to petroleum-derived hydrocarbon fuels. However, especially with recent efforts to produce the fuel on a larger scale, it is thought that it can be made less expensive than many other renewable energy sources.

I find the information interesting and applicable because the method by which these bacteria produce hydrocarbons is related to lipid metabolism, a topic which was covered when we discussed cellular physiology. Since the biochemical pathway that produces lipids can be altered to produce hydrocarbons, it must first be understood how lipids are made and how the process can be modified to produce a usable energy medium. It also shows how organisms can be genetically engineered to produce fuels as macromolecule derivatives. This is especially applicable as us biomedical engineers have the knowledge that the chemical industry needs to come up with more effective ways to produce certain substances; only those with education in advanced biology would be able to figure out how to implement a biological solution to the problem relating to energy production.

Links:

http://www.technologyreview.com/biztech/19128/

http://www.technologyreview.in/energy/25894/

http://www.ls9.com/