Proteins for Biofuels
Researchers at the University of California have successfully engineered certain microbes to produce biofuels. The work concentrated on tricking microbes into eating protein and using the resulting energy to generate specific proteins that can be refined into fuel, the researchers explained. This research is the first attempt to utilize protein as a carbon source for energy production and biorefining. This process has a side benefit — developing a new type of fertilizer that would use less nitrogen, dramatically reducing harmful greenhouse emissions generated by the production of fertilizer, the researchers said. They said this discovery could unleash a new universe of fuel- producing microbes that eat naturally-occurring proteins that are otherwise unfit for animal consumption.
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http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v5/newsworld.php?id=569004
March 11th, 2011 at 1:54 am
please may i know what is the microbes used in this research ?