This study is the first step in replacing fossil fuels as raw materials for the chemical industry. Chemists have engineered blue-green algae to grow chemical precursors for fuels and plastics. This research was done at The University of California, Davis. "Most chemical feedstocks come from petroleum and natural gas, and we need other sources," said Shota Atsumi, assistant professor of chemistry at UC Davis. Biological reactions are good at forming carbon-carbon bonds, using carbon dioxide as a raw material for reactions powered by sunlight. It's called photosynthesis, and cyanobacteria, also known as "blue-green algae," have been doing it for more than 3 billion years.
Using cyanobacteria to grow chemicals has other advantages: they do not compete with food needs, like corn's role in the creation of ethanol. This would be awesome if it works out because we desperately need to replace fossil fuels as raw materials. It would be a great step for our country. This research was very beneficial.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/01/130107171707.htm
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