By combining an unorthodox solvent and a genetically engineered bacterium, a team of researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Worcester, Massachusetts has discovered a groundbreaking method for producing biofuels that is more economically efficient and environmentally friendly than any ever before. In fact, analysts from the WPI team say that their new method is capable of producing biofuel with a whopping five times less energy than traditional manufacturing methods. In short, this breakthrough discovery is an important step in a cheaper, more efficient, and more environmentally friendly biofuels industry. In a paper published in the environmental science journal Nature Communications , titled “Engineered Microbial Biofuel Production and Recovery Under Supercritical Carbon Dioxide” the WPI researchers detail the specifics of their discovery and its potential to produce isobutanol greenly and cheaply. Their process uses supercritical carbon dioxide as a solvent along with a bacterium genetically modified to be able […]