Low cost production of propane using E. coli
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A team of scientists from Imperial College London and the University of Turku in Finland recently developed a new technology for the production of propane from E. coli. Compared with algae oil production technology, the new technology has the characteristics of low cost, low energy consumption, and easy promotion. It is expected to become a highly competitive clean energy production technology in the future. The related papers are published in the journal Nature Communications.
Propane is a clean energy source. It has a low price and a wide range of temperature adaptation. It only forms water vapor and carbon dioxide and does not pollute the environment. At present, it is mainly made into liquefied petroleum gas for storage, transportation, and use. The application range from camping stoves, automobiles to large-scale heating systems is extremely extensive. However, the current production of propane mostly comes from the by-products of crude oil and natural gas smelting, and both are non-renewable resources.
The Physicist Organization Network reported on September 3 (Beijing time) that this joint study conducted by the Imperial College of London and the University of Turku, through a unique biological pathway, can use the large intestine with very little power. Bacillus converts fatty acids into propane. The ultimate goal of the research team is to add photosynthetic bacteria to this system, eliminating the need for electricity and using solar energy to complete this conversion process.
Patrick Jones, of the School of Life Sciences at Imperial College in London, who participated in the study, stated that developing a renewable energy source with low cost and excellent performance is a major challenge. There are currently technologies for producing biodiesel from algae, but this technology requires a lot of energy and capital investment. Propane is a gas that can easily escape from cells and requires only a small amount of energy to make it from a gaseous state to a liquid state, which is easier to store and use. Escherichia coli was chosen as the host organism because it is a standard engineering strain and its research is deep and technically mature.
In order to achieve this idea, the researchers first blocked the original biological processes of E. coli and removed the butyric acid that may produce a pungent odor; then they added a variant of the enzyme called thioesterase. It can specifically target fatty acids and release them from natural processes; they converted butyric acid to butyraldehyde with the help of CAR bacteria. Finally, they added an enzyme called demethylation aldehyde oxygenase (ADO), which was recently discovered and naturally produces hydrocarbons that ultimately produce propane. Previously, scientists also tried to produce clean energy through ADO alone, but eventually ended in failure. In the new study, scientists discovered that as long as they stimulate electrons through ADO, their catalytic ability can be greatly increased, and propane can be finally produced.
Jones said that the study is still in its infancy, so propane production is still relatively low, but this verification study provides a new way for the production of renewable energy. So far, this type of fuel produced by bacteria has Can directly drive the engine. In the future, they will also redesign and adjust the production process, and it is expected to achieve commercial production in 5 to 10 years. (Reporter Wang Xiaolong)
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