Filed under: Etc., Green, Tech
Scientists create bacteria that eat junk, produce oil
A company called LS9 is creating nearly pump-ready oil using single-celled bacteria. They start with industrial yeast organisms or "non-pathogenic strains of E. coli," and redesign their DNA so that they produce a different kind of waste. Crude oil is not far removed, molecularly, from the fatty acids expelled by yeast or E. coli during fermentation, so a little bit of DNA alteration bypasses the fatty acids and produces "Oil 2.0."The "bugs" can be fed a variety of feedstock, from politically sensitive corn to Brazilian sugar cane to California wheat straw to Southern wood chips. The result is the same: crude oil that is almost ready to pour into your car. What's more: the enterprise is carbon negative, putting out less CO2 than the operation requires. At the moment it takes a 1,000-liter fermentation machine one week to make a 40-gallon drum of crude.
It will be a moment before they have a seamless industrial-sized operation. And there is that little concern of hundreds of billions of genetically-altered critters getting free and wreaking havoc on kids and puppies. But the promise of a steady supply of safely created $40 oil -- because even the Volt will need oil -- is not a bad thing to consider. Thanks for the tip, Brad!
[Source: Times Online via Engadget]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Pacman 9:39AM (6/18/2008)
This is awsome but good luck producing billions of gallons of oil this way. I cant see that as a possibility, but who knows.
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Ligor 8:18AM (6/19/2008)
i bet this company will be bought out by the oil giants in no time.
in 1-2 years you will wonder whatever happened to that oil producing bacteria claim and you won't even be able to find much of anything on it in google
About 1year ago the US Air Force claimed they have a battery they can market in two years time that will not need re-charging for up to 30years. One year already gone have never heard of theproject again, but I can still find it in goodle, so I'll give it another year to see if we ever hear of it
Tai 9:41AM (6/18/2008)
That's great. Wonder how much it will affect agriculture later. Corn, sugar, and wheat will perhaps be luxury items.
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Injected 9:45AM (6/18/2008)
All of the "End Scenario Speculators" need to read up on permaculture. This is the case that has been made by alcohol enthusiasts and producers for over one hundred years. Welcome to the 19th century.
Big Rocket 12:46PM (6/18/2008)
Tai: If you had read the article, you would know it already addressed your concerns.
Times Online UK: "The company [LS9] is not interested in using corn as feedstock, given the much-publicised problems created by using food crops for fuel, such as the tortilla inflation that recently caused food riots in Mexico City. Instead, different types of agricultural waste will be used according to whatever makes sense for the local climate and economy: wheat straw in California, for example, or woodchips in the South."
To put it simply, they are recycling waste products into oil.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article4133668.ece
Dan 9:44AM (6/18/2008)
WOOT!!! The only thing is; How much fuel does it take to transport the Brazilian sugar cane, Calfornian wheat straw, and Southern wood chips to the factory that has the bacteria, and concequently ship the produced fuel to gas stations around the world???
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BigMcLargeHuge 9:53AM (6/18/2008)
Probably about the same as it takes to ship the cane/corn to ethanol distilleries. Difference is, those are carbon-neutral at best.
They were giving a range 'from corn to cane to straw to wood chips'. From starchy to cellulosic.
Wheat straw is practically a by-product. Straw in general gets used as 'chaff' or 'hay'. Basically they are saying it will run on grass. Don't know if the quality of the output is affected by the starting material, but I won't mind running the grade that gets made from yard clippings.
cheezwiz 10:21AM (6/18/2008)
Just build some plants in the Amazon. Then, rather than slashing and burning all the trees to make room for sugar cane, the Brazilians can just feed the trees to the bacteria and make even more fuel.
Torrent 2:48PM (6/18/2008)
Then we'll have a war in Brazil over some sugar.... how much more ridiculous does it get?
Cary 4:18AM (6/20/2008)
Torrent, your posts are usually entertaining and relevant. But this one makes you a douche. Good work.
Injected 9:46AM (6/18/2008)
Smaller scaled plants spread out and closer to the consumer base will be more efficient.
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Nuieve 11:08PM (6/18/2008)
Portable plants (the size of a large fridge) would do. I don't mind having one in my garage producing a tank of gas every week. :)
Fred 9:50AM (6/18/2008)
I'll believe it when it's in a scientific paper and it's proven viable and scalable. The same company came out with similar news a year ago. Until then, they're taking advantage of the current market and fishing for venture capitalists.
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Injected 9:52AM (6/18/2008)
No doubt they are feeding on the current climate. Hopefully it is not just vaporware. It's worth looking/investing into. If it works, it may scare down the price of oil, just like synthetic gasoline did almost thirty years ago.
Bart 9:52AM (6/18/2008)
This is what I've been saying will be the future for a while now. This same bacteria will be applied to process algae, and not valuable crops. And algae can be produced at an amazing rate.
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dcwf 9:53AM (6/18/2008)
... and how much water will that concoction use? Next thing you know, water will be selling for $140/barrel. With all of its melting glaciers, Perhaps Iceland will become the next Dubai!
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BigMcLargeHuge 9:59AM (6/18/2008)
There will be no water in the output (the oil).
Any reaction with bacteria will essentially be water-neutral.
MikeofLA 10:09AM (6/18/2008)
I imagine the water it uses can also be gray or waste water as in the algae to oil process made popular by Sapphire Energy (http://sapphireenergy.com/) thus actually producing clean usable water.
Guenther 10:09AM (6/18/2008)
And MI will be the new Texas-
-but seriously... valid concern, and it will really only be viable if it can be a (nearly) closed process. Perhaps it can use pre-enriched water, like sewage, or even algae processed sewage. Even if something like this can only displace 5-10% of oil demand in 15 years, its a great start. If it works. Maybe.
Itsuru 9:53AM (6/18/2008)
Will this be one of those miracle stories that are talked about for a week before falling into obscurity, never to be heard of again?
Like everything on Digg?
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