Microbe Power: The Possibilities are Endless

Microbes have been around the longest of any living Earth creature. They have invented a lot of ways to survive, but they have barely scratched the surface of possibilities of what they can do. With the addition of modern synthetic biology and systems biology, the permutations of what is possible are rising exponentially.

Finland's Neste Oils is developing microbial means to convert bio-wastes into bio-oils, which Neste can then hydrogenate into NExBTL -- a high quality diesel-equivalent.

Genencor and Zymetis are collaborating to develop Zymetis' patented bacterium into a high-value biochemicals bio-factory.

Academic researchers at Rutgers are hoping to gene-engineer a profitable CO2 to fuels algae within the next 3 years.

The first installment of a 10 part series on Biorefineries from BiofuelsDigest. The key to profitable biorefineries is matching a cheap, abundant feedstock with a prolific and adaptable microbe.

Actually, Al Fin industrial microbiologists believe that cooperative assemblies of different micro-organisms will provide a more productive and efficient biorefinery core. But as long as Exxon is willing to pay $600 million so that Craig Venter can try to pack everything he needs into a single microbe, we at Al Fin Syndicates will continue to wish them well.

Europe could replace all the natural gas it imports from Russia by utilising its own biomethane potential -- methane it could generate using anaerobic digestion of biowaste.

Actually, the possibilities ARE endless.