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A genetically modified bacterium transforms CO2 into liquid fuel.
There's been several years since global climate changes have prompted increased the efforts to identify solutions to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from Earth's atmosphere, a greenhouse gas produced mainly by burning fossil fuels, hydrocarbons and coal.
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A team of researchers from UCLA, led by James C. Liao, professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering in that prestigious institution, tried an original approach and managed the genetic modification of cyanobacteria (blue algae), so this it is able that, following consumption of carbon dioxide to produce isobutanol in liquid form, a future alternative to gasoline. Reaction from which is produced fuel is maintained by solar energy, the process of photosynthesis.
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Although there are other technological solutions to replace gasoline by producing biofuels from plants or algae, the method we're talking about presents the major advantages because eliminates intermediate steps of refinement, especially the decomposition of biomass, be it biomass or algal cellulose, a major economic barrier in the way of producing biofuels. Therefore, the method based on genetically modified cyanobacteria has the potential of implementation more effective and cheaper by comparison with existing methods.
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Genetically modified Cianobacteria could directly produce isobutanol, but researchers claim that is easier to use an inexpensive chemical process of catalyst to convert iso butyric aldehyde in isobutanol, but also in other useful products.
Installation of such facilities would be ideal in the vicinity of power plants that emit carbon dioxide in large amounts, to capture greenhouse gas before it enters in the atmospheric circulation, and to recycle and turn into liquid fuel.
