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Lab makes renewable diesel fuel from E. coli poop?
Video at Link
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, California -- Fossil fuels that keep our planet running -- oil, natural gas and coal -- were created from the decomposition of plants, plankton and other organic material over millions of years.
Today, scientists all over the globe are working to create fuels with the same properties but without that pesky 100 million-year wait. And "renewable petroleum" is now a reality, on a small scale, in some laboratories.
The biotech company LS9 Inc. is using single-celled bacteria to create an oil equivalent. These petroleum "production facilities" are so small, you can see them only under a microscope.
"We started in my garage two years ago, and we're producing barrels today, so things are moving pretty quickly," said biochemist Stephen del Cardayre, LS9 vice president of research and development.
How does it work? A special type of genetically altered bacteria are fed plant material: basically, any type of sugar. They digest it and excrete the equivalent of diesel fuel.
Humans have used bacteria and yeast for centuries to do similar work, creating beer, moonshine and, more recently, ethanol. But scientists' recent strides in genetic engineering now allow them to control the end product. Video at Link ... more -
Lab makes renewable diesel fuel from E. coli poop
The biotech company LS9 Inc. is using single-celled bacteria to create an oil equivalent. These petroleum "production facilities" are so small, you can see them only under a microscope.
"We started in my garage two years ago, and we're producing barrels today, so things are moving pretty quickly," said biochemist Stephen del Cardayre, LS9 vice president of research and development.
How does it work? A special type of genetically altered bacteria are fed plant material: basically, any type of sugar. They digest it and excrete the equivalent of diesel fuel.
Humans have used bacteria and yeast for centuries to do similar work, creating beer, moonshine and, more recently, ethanol. But scientists' recent strides in genetic engineering now allow them to control the end product.
"So these are bacteria that have been engineered to produce oil," del Cardayre said. "They started off like regular lab bacteria that didn't produce oil, but we took genes from nature, we engineered them a bit [and] put them into this organism so that we can convert sugar to oil."
The company is focusing on diesel fuel, but the microbes can be "programmed" to make gasoline or jet fuel.
The bacteria used are a harmless form of E. coli. And the feedstock, or food for the microbes, can be any type of agricultural product, from sugar cane to waste such as wheat straw and wood chips. Choosing plants with no food value sidesteps one of the biggest criticisms of another synthetic fuel, corn ethanol, because critics say that corn should be used as food, not fuel.
It takes a lot of microbe poop to fill a gas tank, however. Biofuel experts say that processes like those used at LS9 are scientifically viable but that there's still a long way to go before they can address global energy needs.
"Scalability is really the critical issue," said Robert McCormick, principal engineer at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Lab in Colorado. "If you've got something that you can make work in a test tube, that's good, but you've got to be able to make it work on a very large scale to have an impact on our petroleum imports."
But del Cardayre says his product has other benefits over traditional fossil fuels.
"What we've done is make the same molecules from renewable sources, so that it can go into the existing infrastructure, be made domestically and in an environmentally friendly way. That's the goal," he said.
The LS9 product does not have the cancer-causing benzene that is in other fossil fuels and has far less sulfur, he said.
LS9 President Bob Walsh says that using existing petroleum pipelines is crucial. Ethanol, for example, requires its own distribution system because it can corrode oil pipelines.
"You can't put ethanol in a pipeline, [and] even your car needs some adjustments to it; whereas the product we're making is going into the existing system, and that's a big difference," he said.
LS9 expects to be in large-scale commercial production in three or four years. But del Cardayre is the first to admit that microscopic oil fields are not a silver bullet for the world's energy woes.
"I doubt we're going to completely eliminate our dependence on oil, but we'll certainly be able to supplement the amount of oil we need in the short term," he said.
Although energy researchers are spending tens of millions of dollars in venture capital, McCormick believes that "just making more" is not enough.
"I think that the answer to reducing our petroleum-import problem and reducing the carbon emissions from transportation is really threefold," he said. "It involves replacement fuels like biofuels, it involves using much more efficient vehicles than we use today, and it involves driving less." The biotech company LS9 Inc. is using single-celled bacteria to create an oil equivalent. These petroleum "production facilities&... more -
Beef recalled after cases of poisoning
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 9 A hamburger packing plant in Los Angeles has recalled 153,630 pounds of raw beef after as many as 70 people in Virginia have come down with food poisoning, the Pasadena Star-News reported on Saturday. The recalled beef was suspected of being contaminated by E. coli bacteria which might originate from the S & S Foods company, the paper said. Until the exact source was pinned down, the packing plant was voluntarily recalling the ground meat, said the paper. But Virginia health officials have identified the beef as tainted, and said at least 26 Boy Scouts from the Washington D. area have been hospitalized. The meet has not been sold to retail shoppers, but was only wholesaled to institutional customers from some distribution centers in the nation, according to the paper. "We are recalling the product from distribution channels until we can determine whether illnesses in Virginia are connected to our operations or have some other original source or cause," said Jeff Grohs, a vice president at S & S Foods, in an e-mail to the Pasadena Star-News. Virginia health officials said dozens of Boy Scouts have come down with strain 0157:H7 of E. coli bacterial infections. One scout remained hospitalized, and 26 others have needed medical care, some in hospitals. None of the affected ground beef was sold in California, the company said. LOS ANGELES, Aug. 9 A hamburger packing plant in Los Angeles has recalled 153,630 pounds of raw beef after as many as 70 people in Vir... more
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E. coli Outbreak Leads to Massive Beef Recall
According to the findings of an investigation led by the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service at two processing plants which collaborated with Nebraska Beef, the E. coli outbreak happened because some production practices held under insanitary conditions. Apparently, the company’s efforts to ensure a properly clean production process were insufficient, at least against the E. coli bacteria, that can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration, and in severe cases kidney failure. According to the findings of an investigation led by the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service at two processing plants which coll... more
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Bacteria-Run Computer Solves Math Puzzle
"A new living computer, bred from E. coli bacteria instead of stamped from silica, has for the first time successfully solved a classic mathematical puzzle known as the Burnt Pancake Problem.
While this bacteria-based computer is more proof of concept than practical, a living computer might one day solve complex mathematical problems faster than silicon supercomputers." "A new living computer, bred from E. coli bacteria instead of stamped from silica, has for the first time successfully solved a c... more -
Urinary tract infections may come from pets
New Minneapolis-based researchers say that catching the E.Coli bug from your pets can give you a urinary tract infection.
So is this on top of the symptoms that normally come with E. Coli infections or instead of the normal symptoms? Cuz if its instead of, maybe that is the better way to catch it if you are gonna catch it. Aren't the normal E.Coli symptoms pretty bad? New Minneapolis-based researchers say that catching the E.Coli bug from your pets can give you a urinary tract infection. ... more -
I can haz E. Coli?
You know there's trouble when your average American carnivore thinks twice about biting into a burger.
"Not all E. coli are evil. There are actually hundreds of different strains, some of which are residing in your body right now, helping you absorb food and process waste. In fact, it's estimated that the average person excretes 10 billion Escherichia coli bacteria with every bowel movement." (TMI) You know there's trouble when your average American carnivore thinks twice about biting into a burger. ... more -
Nation's Largest BEEF Recall
An undercover Humane Society video surfaced showing crippled and sick animals being shoved with forklifts, causing the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Sunday to recall 143 million pounds of frozen beef from a California slaughterhouse. An undercover Humane Society video surfaced showing crippled and sick animals being shoved with forklifts, causing the U.S. Department... more
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Totino's and Jeno's Pizza Rolls Recalled due to E. Coli!
who doesn't love pizza rolls? this sucks.
"Almost five million Totino's and Jeno's frozen pizzas with pepperoni toppings are being recalled because the pepperoni may be contaminated with E. coli, General Mills Inc said on Thursday.
General Mills, which owns the Totino's and Jeno's brands, said the recall affects about 414,000 cases of pizza products currently in stores and all similar pizza products that might be in consumers' freezers. Each case contains 12 pizzas." who doesn't love pizza rolls? this sucks. ... more -
Blame the Canadians!
"A defunct Canadian meatpacker is "a likely source" of beef that caused an outbreak of food-borne illnesses in the United States and Canada, the U.S. meat safety agency said on Friday.
Nearly 100 illnesses have been reported due to the E. coli O157:H7 bacteria in the two nations. The U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service said a comparison of "DNA fingerprints" of beef samples pointed to Ranchers Beef Ltd, of Balzac, Alberta."
I'm jut kidding about the blame the Canadians part, my best friend is Canadian (that loser) "A defunct Canadian meatpacker is "a likely source" of beef that caused an outbreak of food-borne illnesses in the Unit... more -
Lettuce Recall
The info you need to know: Hearts Delight packages, sold in the United States and Canada with a "best if used by" date of September 19, 2007, and a production code of A24924A or A24924B.
The spinach last year was from Dole, the lettuce this time, also from Dole.
My advice - go organic. The info you need to know: Hearts Delight packages, sold in the United States and Canada with a "best if used by" date of Se... more
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E. Coli
