A company called Amyris was created in 2003 with the intention of developing technology to make a steady supply of an anti-malarial drug. The synthetic biology platform they developed to make the drug, eventually lead to this breakthrough. Using genetically engineered yeast, scientists got the yeast to produce bio-diesel in a way similar to the way yeast is used to make beer. Sugar cane waste was used to feed the yeast. Could this be a reliable source of alternative fuel? Sugar cane grows fast, and only the waste, after processing for sugar, is needed to create this fuel. Read more about Amyris and what they are doing here:
Amyris.com Amyris. Web. 1 Apr. 2011. <http://www.amyris.com/en/science>
Hart, Richard. “Breakthrough in Synthetic Biology.” ABC Local. 21 Dec. 2008. Web. 1 Apr. 2011. <http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/drive_to_discover&id=6567729>
Wow! with these rising gas prices i sure hope we can find another way to get fuel. Lol, people can have their beer and fuel at the same time =) jk jk.
ReplyDeleteinteresting. I have always wondered the impact biofuels will eventually have on forests that usually end up being cut down to make more fields for the growing demand of corn, cugar cane, etc. to help with fuel and food nowadays. And a lot of these fields, last i heard, were in Brazil with the rainforest. As they mentioned in the video, with sugar cane being made in Brazil. Interesting to think about. We need to get off oil but with solar, biofuels, and other "green" technology, we need a lot of space to mass produce it, whether it be more space for corn or more space for hundreds of solar panels. I think that issue will get bette, hopefully with the advancement of the technology.
ReplyDeleteThis is great - we're seeing more emphasis on using all types of waste as resources, rather than just as problems that have to be dealt with both environmentally and financially.
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