EC-funded project develops engineered micro-organisms

The Directfuel project − spearheaded by Dr Patrik Jones and Prof Eva-Mari Aro at the University of Turku in Finland − will attempt to biologically convert solar energy directly to propane by engineered cyanobacteria.

Propane, a product that is volatile at room temperature, is easily liquefied and, having been used for more than half a century, has an existing distribution infrastructure.

Prof Nigel Scrutton from Manchester University’s Faculty of Life Sciences team will be collaborating on the project with Prof David Leys. He said: ’The successful outcome of the Directfuel project will revolutionise the production of biofuels by engineering photosynthetic microbes that produce engine-ready fuels without the need to harvest biomass.’

Biological energy-conversion processes are particularly well-suited for production of the hydrocarbon fuel molecules. However, no natural molecular ability for such a conversion is known at present, so the task of the Directfuel project is to construct new metabolic pathways with such capability.