Team:MIT
Project
Project Overview
Biodiesel is an energy source with numerous environmental benefits. FAMEs (fatty acid methyl esters) and FAEEs (fatty acid ethyl esters) are comparable components of biodiesel. Of the two, only FAMEs are currently produced industrially, but they are not truly renewable resources because they rely on natural gas. A co-culture of bacteria can be designed to produce FAEEs from cellulose. However, current production methods are not reliable or economical since bacterial cultures are difficult to maintain. In a consortium of bacteria, one species of bacteria may outgrow the other and the bacteria are sensitive to change in pH, temperature, and substrate and by-product concentrations; thus, they may shift their metabolisms or die. Our project aims to change that.