Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI) have engineered Escherichia coli to generate significant quantities of methyl ketone compounds from glucose. In subsequent tests, these methyl ketones yielded high cetane numbers – a diesel fuel rating comparable to the octane number for gasoline – making them strong candidates for the production of advanced biofuels. The lead researcher Harry Beller said “Our findings add to the list of naturally occurring chemical compounds that could serve as biofuels. We’re especially encouraged that it is possible to increase the methyl ketone titer production of E. coli more than 4,000-fold… Login to continue

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