Simple Bugs Churn Out Next-Gen Biofuels

Researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) have genetically engineered e. coli to produce high-octane biofuels, including isobutanol and other branched-chain higher alcohols, from sugar. This is the first time that isobutanol has been produced from a renewable source with yields high enough to make it a viable gasoline substitute, say the researchers, who published their work in the January 3 issue of Nature. Compared to ethanol, the main biofuel on the market, butanol and other higher-chain alcohols offer advantages as gasoline...

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