Cyanobacteria to The Rescue

[Richard D]

Soon we may have the technology to turn carbon dioxide into ethanol using only bacteria and sunlight, thanks to University of Hawai'i scientist Pengcheng "Patrick" Fu.

Fu has engineered a strain of freshwater cyanobacteria to feed on carbon dioxide and emit ethanol as waste in the presence of sunlight, according to an article in the Honolulu Advertiser. Fu says that he is two to three years away from creating a full-scale ethanol plant using these tiny critters. Producing ethanol this way is faster and less costly than producing it using crops, he says. According to the article,

"The benefit over other techniques of producing ethanol is that this is simple and quick—taking days rather than the months required to grow crops that can be converted to ethanol, Fu said.

http://www.realitysandwich.com/node/147

[rasputin1952]

1. cyanobacteria that produce ethanol as a waste product...

hmm...most alcohols kill bacteria, this is a little odd...:shrug:

[porphyrian]

4. Yeast does it.

They tolerate a higher level of alcohol than most other bacteria. Chances are it will have to be done in water or some other medium from which the alcohol can be extracted.

[Redstone]

6. Yeasts are NOT bacteria!!

Redstone

[porphyrian]

8. Plants, animals, who cares on a microscopic level?

I'm not teaching biology, I'm talking about making alcohol.

[Redstone]

9. Who cares is anyone who is paying attention to whether the process will work or not.

That's who.

Redstone

[porphyrian]

10. Oh, whatever. Go eat some fiber. - n/t

[Redstone]

11. Masterful repartee, right there. Got anything less weak?

Redstone

[porphyrian]

12. Not for the likes of you. - n/t

[Redstone]

13. Gee, now I feel really bad. Guess I'll just have to go eat worms, or something.

I'm devastated.

Redstone

[Wiley50]

14. You Guys Are Funny I'm waiting with baited breath

a diet of worms.

or you could ear ramen, it looks like worms

[Redstone]

15. Ah, but worms don't have a lot of salt, and they're raised right here in America.

Redstone

[porphyrian]

18. I really don't care, I didn't ask you. - n/t

[Morgana LaFey]

24. civility just isn't your thing, is it?

tsk, tsk

[Name removed]

27. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Morgana LaFey]

28. So what are the condition under which it's "deserved"?

Inquiring minds want to know.

[frustrated_lefty]

30. Well

We have thermophiles living in deep vents, we have halophiles living in conditions unconducive to life, Pseudomonads have been engineered to basically consume oil. Is it really that far of a stretch of the imagination to consider the remote possibility that cyanobacteria have been engineered to produce ethanol as a byproduct?

[porphyrian]

2. That is fucking awesome.

And it will make for some freaky microbrews.

[Redstone]

3. And this was first reported by the HONOLULU ADVERTISER? Uh-huh. Some breakthrough,

that it gets reported by the Honolulu Advertiser rather than, say, Nature.

Don't hold your breath on this one.

Redstone

[Richard D]

7. There's a whole lot more out there . . .

. . . about this other than in the Honolulu Advertiser:

http://www.google.com/search?q=cyanobacteria+carbon+dioxide+ethanol&sourceid=navclient-ff&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1B3GGGL_enUS215US215

[jmowreader]

23. The Honolulu Advertiser is a legitimate newspaper

It's more legitimate than other papers, in that while every newspaper is first a vehicle for advertising and second an information source, the Honolulu paper (which is the main paper in Hawaii) comes right out and admits it in their name.

[glitch]

5. Cool! Thanks for posting K & R nt

[kineneb]

16. cyanobacteria- got a whole lake full here

lovely Clear Lake (CA), which is not clear, but full of cyanobacteria which make the water green. They are pretty interesting critters.

[Morgana LaFey]

25. are they like the Klamath Lake blue-green algae?

the edible ones? (Not all that tasty, but boy are they great nutrition!)

[kineneb]

29. dun'no. but they sure smell in late Aug.

lake gets warm, the little bacteria multiply and then die off. Peee-uuuuw. But they say that the bacteria are what keeps the lake from becoming a big meadow, by shading the bottom and preventing plant growth. Clear Lake is supposed to be the oldest fresh water lake in the US.

[FVZA_Colonel]

17. Not to mention, if we ever do decide to terraform Mars,

they'd be damn useful there as well. Here's hoping this pans out.

[lonestarnot]

19. Whooooa way cool!

:applause:

[enki23]

20. how ethanol-tolerant are the little things?

i'm assuming the distillation will be at least as costly as with corn based ethanol, though at least these little buggers wouldn't be eating up our topsoil and pricing the developing world out of much of the food market.

[smiley_glad_hands]

21. Why do we care if it kills the bacteria?

They grow exponentially. Just give me my cheap easy alternative fuel already.

[loudsue]

22. Just wait until the oil dudes get hold of this guy.

:hi: Buh-bye! :hi:

Does anybody think for one minute the oil companies won't shut this down if it really works?

:kick::kick::kick:

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

26. Yet More Cool News On The Renewable Energy Front. Thanks!

[opihimoimoi]

31. What do the CBac eat??? They gatta eat sumpthin???

[Orsino]

32. Fossil fuels have been regarded as free energy for too long.

That wonderful energy they yielded up will have to be repaid, if we want to turn all that excess carbon dioxide back into carbon. The world's oceans are a carbon sink, but they have not been able to keep up with our profligate combustion.

Count me skeptical. This process might ultimate help to reduce our carbon emissions, but I doubt that we will muster the commitment before it's too late.