British and Finnish scientists have discovered a method of generating renewable propane using a bacterium present in the human intestine.
According to scientists, this finding could be a stepping stone for the commercial production of an alternative fuel in future.
So far, only tiny amounts of the fuel have been produced, but it is ready to be used in an engine straight away, said, Patrik Jones, department of life sciences, Imperial College London.
The findings of the study were published in the journal, Nature Communications by a team lead by Jones from Imperial College, London jointly with University of Turku, Finland.
Scientists used Escherichia coli, or E.coli, to interrupt a biological process that turns fatty acids into cell membranes.
The researchers used enzymes to channel the fatty acids along a different biological pathway, so that the bacteria produced renewable propane instead of cell membranes.
The research is still at a primitive stage and around 5-10 years may be needed for a commercial production to begin but the findings were proof of concept for a way of producing renewable fuel. Right now they are working on refining the process.
Propane is considered to be a clean burning fuel due to its lower carbon content. It is already produced as a by-product during natural gas processing and petrol refining.
Fossil fuels are a finite resource and the research team hopes to come up with new ways to meet increasing energy demands. A major challenge for scientists is to develop a renewable process that is low-cost and economically sustainable, said, Jones about the research.
Producing biodiesel from algae is not commercially viable because the harvesting and processing requires significant energy and money.
Besides, propane can be separated from the natural process with minimal energy and it will be compatible with the existing infrastructure for easy use, according to scientists.
At the moment, there is no exact idea about how the fuel molecules are made. Research is still progressing through different processes and methods. Over the next five to 10 years commercially viable processes can be achieved that will sustainably fuel the energy demands, concluded, Jones.
editor@greentechlead.com