Bacteria embedded in latex leads to biofuels

ERJ staff report (DS)

Minneapolis, Minnesota -- A team of University of Minnesota researchers and BioCee, a university start-up company, have been awarded $2.2 million from the US Department of Energy for a research proposal using bacteria to produce biofuel.

In essence, the team proposes to develop a bioreactor using bacteria embedded in a thin latex coating to produce hydrocarbon fuel. They are one of the only groups in the world with the ability to make biohydrocarbons.

“This is part of a new effort by the United States to spur the next Industrial Revolution in clean energy technologies,” said US Energy Secretary Steven Chu, who received the 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics. All of the proposals are creative longshots, any one of which could help solve global energy problems if successful, he said.

This is an external link and should open in a new window. If the window does not appear, please check your pop-up blocking software. ERJ is not responsible for the content of external sites.

Press release from University of Minnesota