When stressed, the bacteria Ralstonia eutropha, commonly found in soil, has the ability to stop growing and focus its energy into complex carbon synthesizing processes. Scientists at MIT have manipulated the bacterium's genes to make an alcohol, isobutanol, which can be substituted for or mixed with gasoline and used as a fuel source. Normally, when deprived of essential nutrients, the bacterium stores what few nutrients it does have. In this case the nutrient is carbon, which is stored in polymers with similar properties to plastics. By removing and inserting various genes, scientists were able to get the bacterium to produce fuel instead of plastics, and they are currently focusing on switching the carbon source from fructose to carbon dioxide. Potentially, the microbe may be able to use any source of carbon, such as agricultural and municipal waste, in its conversion to fuel. Their efforts are also focused on increasing the rate of production, and fortunately, isobutanol is naturally created by the bacterium, so it can continuously be filtered out without interrupting the creation process.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/08/120820143904.htm
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