Ecology
Learning how to convert seaweed into fuel has been the dream of many scientists, entrepreneurs and policymakers for many years, partly after the debate about traditional biofuels arose, in particularly on maize and sugar cane yields.
The stumbling block with algae was that traditional microbes could not quickly process their primary sugar component called alginate. The other two sugary components in algae ferment rapidly, but without alginate processing, the production of biofuels from seaweed would be inefficient and therefore too expensive, so will not be able to compete with oil-based fuel.
Today, using synthetic biology and enzyme engineering, Adam Wargacki of the Biological Agriculture Laboratory in Berkeley, California, and colleagues were able to make algae are a more attractive raw material for fuel production. His team of scientists has created a new form of E. coli that can process all types of sugar in brown algae, including alginate.
Fermentation experiments using a new microbe, as reported by scientists in the journal Science, have led to the fact that they were able to produce 80 percent of ethanol from the maximum theoretical amounts that are twice the alcohol level in sugar cane and 5 times the alcohol level in corn.
Meanwhile, other ideas for developing environmentally friendly biofuels deserve attention. For example, the same method used to free coffee from caffeine and extract hops for beer production can be used to convert wood into fuel.
Some studies show that producing biofuels from grass and other living plants that can be grown on land that is not edible can reduce the need for liquid fuel is doubled.
In order to assess the opportunities, it is necessary to take into account various aspects, including economic factors, as well as how advanced the technology for fuel production will be , the amount of material you might need, and so on.