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Bacteria have been around longer than dinosaurs and are still capable of making energy-dense fuel even if dinosaurs aren’t, as long as the bugs have some human help.
Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory started with a molecule called a polycyclopropanated fatty acid methyl ester (POP-FAME). A POP-FAME holds carbon atoms bound at sharp angles, so when the bonds break, considerable energy is released.
Next, the scientists spotted bacteria that naturally produce the key carbon cluster in POP-FAMES and transplanted the genes that make it into bacteria that are easier to work with.
Those easygoing bacteria produce POP-FAME molecules dubbed “fuelimycins” that need just one additional, relatively simple processing step to turn into a drop-in replacement for jet fuel that holds about 40 percent more energy per volume than the original, according to computer simulations.
The team is scaling up production so fuelimycins’ real-world performance can be verified.
Meanwhile, the group also is figuring ways to coax the bacteria to produce carbon chains of different lengths.
A longer chain likely would be solid, which could replace rocket fuel, the existing short chain is right for jet engines, while in-between lengths could replace fossil-based diesel fuels.
TRENDPOST: The bacteria can be grown easily in tanks and their excreted fuelimycins filtered out, reducing the need to drill for oil—increasingly costly now that big, easy-to-reach fields have been tapped.
Also, the bugs feast on plant matter, which is nourished by carbon dioxide. As a result, producing the new fuels would put less carbon overall into the atmosphere.
With fossil-free drop-in replacement fuels that hold more energy than petroleum, vehicles could go longer between refueling, or fuel tanks could be made smaller to allow room for extra features.