Yes! There is a Bioprocess To Convert Waste Gas Into Liquid Fuel
MIT Researchers have successfully trialled the process of converting waste gas into liquid fuel at a pilot plant in China using engineered microbes.
The Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology(MIT) have demonstrated the process of converting emissions from power stations, steel mills and garbage dumps into liquid fuel. The process uses bacteria to convert waste gases into acetic acid (concentrated vinegar). The acetic acid product is fed as a substrate to a second bioreactor, where it is converted aerobically into lipids by an engineered oleaginous yeast. We first describe the process carried out in each reactor and then present an integrated system that produces microbial oil, using synthesis gas as input.
The demonstration was done at a pilot plant in China, which will now be tested at a bigger facility to check if it can be scaled up and also the costs and carbon footprint will be evaluated.
Professor Gregory Stephanopoulos, an expert in chemical engineering and biotechnology at MIT said: “It started just four to five years ago with a post-doctoral project funded by the U.S. Energy Department. We are looking at a very fast time scale [of development]. We have pieced the system together into an integrated system, where you put gas in one end and get a liquid fuel out of the other end.”
He further added, “The bottom line, if one is aiming at making fuels from renewable resources, is we need to look very carefully at low-cost feedstocks.”
To know the further details of the research, please check here.
Source: The Guardian
