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A WAY TO PRODUCE AN ALTERNATIVE JET

FUEL WITH BACTERIA HAS BEEN DISCOVERED!

As these bacteria feed, they produce a strange

molecule that can be used to make jet fuel.

Aircraft are indispensa- fuels to form. them down and convert synthases. “Polyketide says Cruz-Morales. “This is
ble in the modern age them into building blocks synthases are the ultimate something that is not only
for transporting people, AN EXPLOSIVE IDEA for carbon-to-carbon biological tool to make related to the technology,
delivering goods, and per- bonds,” he says. “You make organic chemistry,” says but the geopolitical and
forming military operations, To see if he could syn- fat in your body in the Cruz-Morales. socio-political constitution
but the petroleum-based thesize a tricky molecule same way, with the same of the planet right now. You
fuels that power them are that has the potential to chemistry, but this bacterial MAKING FUEL can see this as a prepa-
in short supply. Scientists produce a lot of energy, process has some very WITH BIOLOGY ration for the moment
have now discovered a way Jay Keasling, a chemical interesting twists.” because we are going to
to generate an alternative engineer at the Universi- Cruz-Morales explains
jet fuel by harvesting an ty of California, Berkeley, These twists, which give the that the fuel produced by run out of fossil fuels, and
unusual carbon molecule approached Cruz-Morales, molecules their explo- the bacteria would work a there’s going to be a point,
produced by the metabolic who was a postdoctoral sive properties, are the lot like biodiesel. It would not far from now, when
process of bacteria that researcher in his lab at the incorporation of cyclopro- need to be treated so that we will need alternative
are commonly found in soil. time. “Keasling told me: pane rings – rings of three it could ignite at a lower solutions.”
The research, by scientists it’s gonna be an explosive carbon atoms arranged temperature than the tem-
at the Lawrence Berkeley idea,” says Cruz-Morales. in a triangular shape. “If perature needed to burn a Article: “Biosynthesis of
Lab, was published recent- you have bonds that are fatty acid. However, when polycyclopropanated high
ly in the journal Joule. Keasling wanted to rec- at a normal angle, an ignited, it would be power- energy biofuels” by Pablo
reate a molecule called open chain of carbons, the ful enough to send a rocket Cruz-Morales, Kevin Yin,
“In chemistry, everything Jawsamycin, which is carbons can be flexible and into space. “If we can make Alexander Landera, John
that requires energy to named after the mov- they get comfortable,” ex- this fuel with biology there’s R. Cort, Robert P. Young,
make will release energy ie “Jaws” because of its plains Cruz-Morales. “Let’s no excuses to make it with Jennifer E. Kyle, Robert
when it’s broken,” says lead bite-like indentations. It is say you make them into a oil,” says Cruz-Morales. “It Bertrand, Anthony T. Iavar-
author Pablo Cruz-Mo- generated by the common ring of six carbons – they opens the possibility of one, Suneil Acharya, Aidan
rales, a microbiologist at bacteria streptomyces, an can still move and dance making it sustainable.” Cowan, Yan Chen, Jennifer
DTU Biosustain, part of organism that Cruz-Mo- a little bit. But the triangle W. Gin, Corinne D. Scown,
the Technical University of rales had worked with in shape makes the bonds In the future, Cruz-Morales
Denmark. When petroleum the past. bend, and that tension hopes that he and the Christopher J. Petzold, Car-
jet fuel is ignited, it releas- requires energy to make.” team of Department of olina Araujo-Barcelos, Eric
es a massive amount of “The recipe already exists Energy researchers who Sundstrom, Anthe George,
energy. Scientists at the in nature,” says Cruz-Mo- After careful analysis, the worked on the project will Yuzhong Liu, Sarah Klass,
Keasling Lab at the Law- rales. The jagged molecule research team deter- be able to scale up this Alberto A. Nava and Jay
rence Berkeley Laboratory is produced by native mined that the enzymes process so that their alter- D. Keasling, 30 June 2022,
thought there must be metabolism of the bacteria that were responsible for native fuel could actually Joule.
some way to replicate this as they munch away on the construction of these be used in aircraft. “The
without having to wait mil- glucose. “As they eat sugar high-energy cyclopropane problem right now is that DOI: 10.1016/j.
lions of years for new fossil or amino acids, they break molecules were polyketide fossil fuels are subsidized,” joule.2022.05.011