Biofuels from seaweed breakthrough
Thu 19 January 2012
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Scientists in the United States have genetically engineered microbes to process brown seaweed into biofuel. Researchers from bio-technology start-up Bio-Architecture Lab (BAL) in Seattle forecast that underwater farms could become sources of the renewable energy.
As seaweed uses a different type of carbohydrate called an alginate, it had been thought that it could not be broken down by the land based E. coli bacteria normally used in industry and that the process would not be financially feasible.
However, researchers found that they could overcome the problem by using a marine microbe called Vibrio splendidus, which naturally metabolises and consumes seaweed in the ocean.
Dr Yoshikuni of BAL said: "Using synthetic biology and enzyme engineering, the DNA strand was spliced into the E. coli bacteria, which was then able to digest the sugar polymers in the seaweed converting them into ethanol."
The work was published in Science magazine this month in an article entitled "An Engineered Microbial Platform for Direct Biofuel Production from Brown Macroalgae".
BAL is now operating four seaweed farms off the coast of Chile and undertaking work for partner DuPont.
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