Scientists Create Microbes That Produce Cellulose

Scientists at the University of Texas at Austin have created microbes that produce cellulose. The cellulose can be used to create biofuels, including ethanol. If the production of cellulose could be improved, the microbes may become a significant source of biomatter for the production of fuel in the US.

The microbe secrets glucose and sucrose, both used in the production of ethanol. According to the researchers, the microbes could be an inexpensive source of cellulose, and can be grown in salty water, meaning that it would not take away any land or resources from the production of food crops.

The bacteria, known as cyanobacteria, use sunlight to produce and excrete the sugars. The sugars can be extracted without harming the bacteria themselves, and the bacteria can be grown without using petroleum-based fertilizers.

The researchers created the bacteria by giving blue-green algae a set of cellulose-making genes from another strain of bacteria, Acetobacter xylinum, which is well known for its cellulose producing abilities. The fact that the new bacterium also secretes easily harvestable glucose and sucrose, however, was a surprise.

The major benefit of such a bacterium would be the reduction in the amount of arable land needed to produce it, and the fact that it would reduce biofuel's competition for food crops. According to the researchers, the entire Midwest would need to be devoted to corn production to create enough biofuels to meet US transportation needs.

Early analysis shows the potential for a 17-fold increase in the productivity of the bacteria. If that productivity could be realized, the land needs for the production of this bacteria would be reduced to less than 29,000 square miles.

Source: University of Texas at Austin


Photo by Richard Santos, courtesy of The University Of Texas At Austin