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Biology Could Be Used To Turn Sugar Into Diesel

Posted by samzenpus on from the goodbye-mr.-fusion dept.

ABCTech has an interesting article about an Emeryville-based tech startup, Amyris Biotechnologies, that is planning to use microbes to turn sugar into diesel. Ethanol is made by adding sugar to yeast, but Amyris believes that it can reprogram the microbes to make something closer to gasoline. The company was initially given a $43 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to attempt to research the applications of Synthetic Biology for making a cost-effective malaria drug. Jack Newman, the Vice-President of Amyris said, "Why are we making ethanol if we're trying to make a fuel? We should be making something that looks a lot more like gasoline. We should be making something that looks a lot more like diesel. And if you wanted to design, you name it, a jet fuel? We can make that too."

4 of 355 comments (clear)

  1. Next they'll work on snakeoil by giminy · · Score: 1, Troll

    No, really, they'll use snakes to make oil. Get it? Got it? Good.

    --
    The Right Reverend K. Reid Wightman,
  2. Diesel tree, hydrogen, ethanol etc. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    Dream on. How about the diesel tree?

    http://biopact.com/2006/09/farmer-experiments-with -exotic-diesel.html

    How about hydrogen dreams?

    How about wasteful ethanol?

    WRONG how about oil? We have plenty, we will never run out. Artificial scarcity is being use to conrtol you sheep!

    root.man peak oil is a lie
    http://tinyurl.com/ymcxyg

    Go on mod this down to invisible. The truth is too hard to handle.

    I bet you think steel buildings can implode due to fire, too!

    root.man 911 was a psyop
    http://tinyurl.com/2sty6e

    1. Re:Diesel tree, hydrogen, ethanol etc. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

      Devastating argument!

      I surrender.

      Gov. is good. Loving government loves me.

      Republicrats are good people.

      The bad guys are going to get you.. no W and DHS and the patriot act will protect you.

      They found WMDs, HR 6166 didn't pass, DU is good for you.

      Steel buildings just melt and collapse due to fire.

      There is no more oil!

      We need to kill ourselves to save the planet..

      Bahh, Bahhh, Bahhh...

  3. Re:hmm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    You have a 100% impact as well so why don't you lead the way by going to find cliff or a bridge somewhere, then taking your entire fucktarded family. Then by having all of them jump off to their deaths and after that jumping to yours. Then there would be a whole lot less CO2 going into the atmosphere and we won't have to put up with fucktards like you in the gene pool.