The Fuel of the Future
Gautham Srinivasan
iPhD Student, Biological Sciences
Ever since the production of petrol, people have been wary of its effect environmentally and have forced governments to bring about a change. This brought about the production of fuels from organic sources and is regarded as a major milestone.
Biofuel is a renewable and alternative form of fuel produced for decreasing the dependence of mankind on petroleum products as well as reducing carbon dioxide emissions. The heat produced by burning wood was used earlier as a source of energy. But biofuels use a renewable source of energy which is replenished swiftly.
This was first extracted from sugars of crops and later transitioned towards exploiting whole plants and lower order animals. The plants produced exclusively for this purpose are grown in soils which have minimalistic concentrations of carbon. The oils and sugars extracted from organic wastes, plants and micro-organisms undergo trans-esterification and fermentation for the formation of biofuels. The above-mentioned process, however, has high energy demands and therefore is not feasible in the long run.
Synthetic biology is an expanding discipline in the production of biofuels and it typically involves the construction of artificial systems in order to achieve a desired goal. Synthetic biology can thus be used to enhance pre-existing methods of biofuel production. It also helps to genetically engineer organisms to improve the yield of biofuels or to import useful genes in order to better utilize feedstock to generate energy. These approaches produce products which are less toxic, economic and easier to produce. It has also decreased our dependence on food crops which had sparked the “food vs fuel” debate.
The substantial reduction in carbon dioxide emission by taking up this synthetic biology approach proved to be a major achievement for the bio-energy sector. Some of the major fuels produced by synthetic biology approach include biodiesel and bioethanol. The synthetic biology approach is also used in the upcoming method of carbon capture and storage. It involves the capture of atmospheric carbon dioxide produced from various activities and storing them in sites for later consumption. The advancement in synthetic biology towards creating new tools and systems will aid in improving substrate utilization, production of new bio based fuels and industrial enzyme discovery for giving a better yield. The success which synthetic biology has already bestowed upon biofuel production gives hope to future breakthroughs and discoveries!