Discover Magazine: Engineered E. Coli Bacteria Produces Road-Ready Diesel.
“The bacteria can work on any type of biomass, including wood chip, switchgrass, and the plant parts that are left behind after a harvest–all contain cellulose, a structural material that comprises much of a plant’s mass. Study coauthor Jay Keasling and his colleagues report engineering E. coli bacteria to synthesize and excrete the enzyme hemicellulase, which breaks down cellulose into sugars. The bacteria can then convert those sugars into a variety of chemicals – diesel fuel among them. The final products are excreted by the bacteria and then float to the top of the fermentation vat before being siphoned off.” Knew I should have bought that VW Jetta TDI.
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the one major detail that’s excluded is “How long does it take to make fuel this way?” Methinks this is a net energy sink - I’m not sure how they can get around that.