Electrofuels: Charged Microbes May "Poop Out" a Gasoline Alternative

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2013/06/130617-electrofuels-using-microbes-to-make-biofuel/

[font face=Serif][font size=5]Electrofuels: Charged Microbes May "Poop Out" a Gasoline Alternative[/font]

Richard A. Lovett
For National Geographic
Published June 17, 2013

[font size=3]What if you could make biofuels without using plants? Or oil without extracting anything from the ground?

That's been the goal of the U.S. Department of Energy's "electrofuels" program, a $48 million research effort involving 14 separate projects that is wrapping up this year.

Instead of relying on corn, sugar cane, or other plants to collect the sun's energy, electrofuels researchers use microorganisms.

And instead of harvesting plants and other biomass and converting them into biofuels like ethanol, electrofuels researchers are genetically engineering microorganisms that, as one researcher put it, "poop out" chemicals that can burn directly in your gas tank.

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[napoleon_in_rags]

1. For some reason...

I like the GMO stuff like this, or like the microorganisms that make spider webs for clothing.
http://ajw.asahi.com/article/economy/AJ201305250027
It seems like a closed ecosystem of microorganisms could be a manageable place for GMO work, without unforseen consequences. I worry more about introducing GMO into existing ecosystems. But I like this because its conceivable to make the little critters eat carbon as they produce, making a carbon neutral source of bio fuels.