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Scientists create bacteria that eat junk, produce oil Posted Jun 18th 2008 9:31AM by Jonathon Ramsey Filed under: Etc., Green, Tech
A company called LS9 is creating nearly pump-ready oil using single-celled bacteria. They start with industrial yeast organisms or "non-pathogenic strains of E. coli," and redesign their DNA so that they produce a different kind of waste. Crude oil is not far removed, molecularly, from the fatty acids expelled by yeast or E. coli during fermentation, so a little bit of DNA alteration bypasses the fatty acids and produces "Oil 2.0."
The "bugs" can be fed a variety of feedstock, from politically sensitive corn to Brazilian sugar cane to California wheat straw to Southern wood chips. The result is the same: crude oil that is almost ready to pour into your car. What's more: the enterprise is carbon negative, putting out less CO2 than the operation requires. At the moment it takes a 1,000-liter fermentation machine one week to make a 40-gallon drum of crude.
It will be a moment before they have a seamless industrial-sized operation. And there is that little concern of hundreds of billions of genetically-altered critters getting free and wreaking havoc on kids and puppies. But the promise of a steady supply of safely created $40 oil -- because even the Volt will need oil -- is not a bad thing to consider
-------------------- 2008 Black/blk C6 Z51 NPP M6 2008 Silver/blk CTS FE2 AWD 304hp Posts: 9560 | From: North East | Registered: Dec 2000
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quote:Originally posted by J.B.: And there is that little concern of hundreds of billions of genetically-altered critters getting free and wreaking havoc on kids and puppies.
Screw the kids and puppies, I want cheap gas Posts: 1539 | From: North Augusta, SC | Registered: Apr 2003
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I have to respectfully disagree with you guys. 30 years ago is when we, not just the USA, should have put alot of time and money into alternative fuels. We didn't learn a thing from the Arab Oil Embargo of the seventies. They have us by the balls, so now the kids and puppies are screwed. It will just take another 30 years before we realize it.
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Why dont the spineless members of government jack up the price of food that we export to the oil countries? Tell them to eat their oil at these price levels.
Posts: 298 | From: PENSACOLA,FLORIDA | Registered: Nov 2004
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