Researchers from the University of Exeter, with support from Shell have been successful in bioengineering E. coli to produce diesel that is very similar to conventional diesel. Metabolic pathway of E. coli was successfully engineered to produce the specified, aliphatic n- and iso-alkanes and -alkenes of various chain lengths that are exact replicas of petroleum-based molecules used in retail fuels. The lead researcher Professor John Love acknowledged that “although at a very early stage in product development” the destination to commercial scale production is in sight. Confirming this, Rob Lee from Shell Projects & Technology said: “While the technology still… Login to continue

Login or sign up