Breakthrough for biofuel production

摘要

Researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego have developed a method to genetically engineer a key growth component in biofuel production from diatoms. A significant roadblock in algal biofuel research surrounds the production of lipid oils, the fat molecules that store energy that can be used for making fuel. A catch-22 has prevented economically efficient biofuel production because algae mainly produce the desired lipid oils when they are starved of nutrients. Yet if they are limited in nutrients, they do not grow well. With a robust diet, algae grow well, but they produce carbohydrates instead of the desired lipids for fuel.