Blogs under tag Sapphire EnergyGene Modified Algae are Safe? Posted by Veronica on Fri August 06 2010 11:11:13 AM 21 |
|
Sapphire Energy is on to create superalgae, highly efficient at converting sunlight and carbon dioxide into lipids and oils that can be sent to a refinery and made into diesel or jet fuel. But efforts to genetically engineer algae, which usually means to splice in genes from other organisms, worry some experts because algae play a vital role in the environment. The single-celled photosynthetic organisms produce much of the oxygen on earth and are the base of the marine food chain. Sapphire says it is not growing any genetically engineered algae in open ponds yet. When it is ready, it says, it will comply with all regulations. Genetically engineered algae, whether in open ponds or enclosed bioreactors, are likely to be regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency, which now regulates genetically engineered microbes under the Toxic Substances Control Act. In this context Craig Venter of Synthetic Genomics had this to say that no algae would escape from the labs. Nothing will go into the drains. In the long run, Dr. Venter said, the algae should be given 'suicide genes' that would kill them if they escaped the lab or fuel production facility. |
NY Times article on Sapphire energy Posted by Veronica on Sat July 31 2010 05:31:12 AM 4
|
Bobdre sent a note in our club and I noticed it. An article that kinda describes what Sapphire energy is upto regarding gene modification. The article also discusses the pros and cons of gene modification and particularly about " algae as a fuel" , the need for gene modification and pros and cons of so doing. " We've probably engineered over 4,000 strains, said Mike Mendez, a co-founder and vice president for technology at Sapphire Energy, the owner of the laboratory. My whole goal here at Sapphire is to domesticate algae, to make it a crop." Dozens of companies, as well as many academic laboratories, are pursuing the same goal to produce algae as a source of, literally, green energy. And many of them are using genetic engineering or other biological techniques, like chemically induced mutations, to improve how algae functions. There are probably well over 100 academic efforts to use genetic engineering to optimize biofuel production from algae, said Matthew C. Posewitz, an assistant professor of chemistry at the Colorado School of Mines, who has written a review of the field. There's just intense interest globally. says Mike Mendez. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/26/business/energy-environment/26algae.html Thanks again to Bobdre for the reference to the article. |
