Difference between revisions of "Team:Aalto-Helsinki"
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Imagine if you could drive your car knowing you won’t be contributing to the climate change. The carbon footprint of transported goods would diminish. What if we lived in a world without geo-political pressure caused by the unbalanced localization of usable fuels?<br /><br /> | Imagine if you could drive your car knowing you won’t be contributing to the climate change. The carbon footprint of transported goods would diminish. What if we lived in a world without geo-political pressure caused by the unbalanced localization of usable fuels?<br /><br /> | ||
− | Here’s our solution: we will produce sustainable propane in E. coli using cellulose as a carbon source. Propane is already common in car engines, and gasoline engines can be converted into propane engines quite simply and inexpensively. As propane is already widely used, the infrastructure to distribute propane is largely in place. But, the problem is that propane is currently produced as a side product of the petrochemical industry, hence it’s a fossil fuel. To solve this, we will transfer a propane producing pathway into E. coli. <a href="http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2014/140902/ncomms5731/full/ncomms5731.html">The pathway</a> is a patchwork of different enzymes from different organisms, but has been shown to work in E. coli alone. To elevate our propane producing E. coli from a glucose-consuming first generation biofuel to the second generation, we are integrating a secretion system for cellulose hydrolysing enzymes. This way our bacteria could survive on agricultural and food waste, closing the carbon cycle without disturbing the current food production. </p> | + | Here’s our solution: we will produce sustainable propane in <i>E. coli</i> using cellulose as a carbon source. Propane is already common in car engines, and gasoline engines can be converted into propane engines quite simply and inexpensively. As propane is already widely used, the infrastructure to distribute propane is largely in place. But, the problem is that propane is currently produced as a side product of the petrochemical industry, hence it’s a fossil fuel. To solve this, we will transfer a propane producing pathway into <i>E. coli</i>. <a href="http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2014/140902/ncomms5731/full/ncomms5731.html">The pathway</a> is a patchwork of different enzymes from different organisms, but has been shown to work in <i>E. coli</i> alone. To elevate our propane producing <i>E. coli</i> from a glucose-consuming first generation biofuel to the second generation, we are integrating a secretion system for cellulose hydrolysing enzymes. This way our bacteria could survive on agricultural and food waste, closing the carbon cycle without disturbing the current food production. </p> |
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Revision as of 20:58, 14 August 2015