• HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
Thursday, October 23, 2025
BIOENGINEER.ORG
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
No Result
View All Result
Bioengineer.org
No Result
View All Result
Home NEWS

MIT is bioengineering bacteria to turn CO2 into fuel

Bioengineer by Bioengineer
August 22, 2012
in NEWS
Reading Time: 1 min read
0
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedinShare on RedditShare on Telegram

The unmodified version of Ralstonia eutropha feeds on organic compounds or hydrogen and grows in the process. But when it gets stressed through a lack of certain nutrients in its diet it decides to store food for later instead. That food is stored as a polymer.

What the scientists at MIT did was to modify the bacteria so that instead of storing food as a polymer, it produces isobutanol. Isobutanol can be used as a substitute for gasoline making the usefulness of this bacteria very clear.

However, the research team aren’t finished yet. Its food source is carbon-based and work is currently underway to get it on to a diet of carbon dioxide. By doing so, Raistonia eutropha could one day eat our carbon emissions and output new fuel for us to use.

The isobutanol produced is easy to filter off as the bacteria stores it in the liquid surrounding of its body rather than internally. With that being the case, having large vats of Ralstonia eutropha producing a steady stream of fuel is highly viable. It’s also possible the bacteria could be adapted to use some of our other waste products as a food source, for example, agricultural waste.

As the whole system relies on this single bacteria it can be setup just about anywhere there’s access to a food source and a fuel storage system. That means it won’t take up valuable farming land like ethanol production does, making it a much more viable and eco-friendly long term solution if the MIT team can perfect Ralstonia eutropha’s eating habits.

Share12Tweet8Share2ShareShareShare2

Related Posts

New Model Predicts Caregiver Distress in Dementia

October 23, 2025
blank

Assessing Glass Fiber Recovery from Composite Waste

October 23, 2025

Linking FSHR Polymorphisms to PCOS Traits

October 23, 2025

Multi-Omics Identify NOL11 as Liver Cancer Marker

October 23, 2025
Please login to join discussion

POPULAR NEWS

  • Sperm MicroRNAs: Crucial Mediators of Paternal Exercise Capacity Transmission

    1276 shares
    Share 510 Tweet 319
  • Stinkbug Leg Organ Hosts Symbiotic Fungi That Protect Eggs from Parasitic Wasps

    307 shares
    Share 123 Tweet 77
  • ESMO 2025: mRNA COVID Vaccines Enhance Efficacy of Cancer Immunotherapy

    159 shares
    Share 64 Tweet 40
  • New Study Suggests ALS and MS May Stem from Common Environmental Factor

    132 shares
    Share 53 Tweet 33

About

We bring you the latest biotechnology news from best research centers and universities around the world. Check our website.

Follow us

Recent News

New Model Predicts Caregiver Distress in Dementia

Assessing Glass Fiber Recovery from Composite Waste

Linking FSHR Polymorphisms to PCOS Traits

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 66 other subscribers
  • Contact Us

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Homepages
    • Home Page 1
    • Home Page 2
  • News
  • National
  • Business
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Science

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.