Production of FAME biodiesel in E. coli – Microdiesel fuel

The utilization of engineered microorganisms to produce chemicals from renewable biomass is a promising alternative to petroleum-derived fuels and chemicals.

E coli is one of the most common bacteria around us, with some types harmful to health. Excessive amounts in water or food can lead to serious poisoning. Fortunately, E coli perishes quickly in heat. It is most comfortable at about 37 degrees Celsius, and most species in nature cannot survive above 46 degrees.

On the other hand, the use of feedstock oils needed for biodiesel production is a major obstacle for the broader use of biodiesel due to lack of arable land and competition with the food supply. Therefore, a possible alternative to plant and animal oil-based biodiesel is the direct biosynthetic production of biodiesel in metabolically engineered microorganisms.

Microdiesel is the biodiesel fuel produced by using micro-organisms engineered for fuel production. Optimized Microdiesel production by engineered microorganisms could offer some major advantages over established conventional production processes. Biotechnological Microdiesel production could be significantly less.

In contrast to conventional FAME-based biodiesel, Biotechnological Microdiesel production could be significantly less expensive than conventional biodiesel production if plant products like starch or lignocellulose are used for its production. These plant polymers are much cheaper than plant oils, and also much more abundant. Microdiesel production will then no longer be restricted to oilseed producing regions of the world, in contrast to conventional FAME-based biodiesel.