Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. Bio Fuel News .




BIO FUEL
Beating the fuel prices: Using yeast for economic production of bioethanol
by Staff Writers
Washington DC (SPX) Jul 20, 2012


File image.

Finding renewable and economic sources of energy are one of the most important concerns for the continuation of the human species. New research, published in BioMed Central's open access journal Biotechnology for Biofuels, has produced a novel strain of yeast with improved xylose tolerance and metabolism, and consequently improved ethanol production.

Bioethanol is considered one of cleanest renewable replacements for fossil fuel. However using glucose from crops, such as sugar cane or starch crops, uses up resources which could otherwise be used to produce food. Xylose is the second most abundant sugar in plants (after glucose) and is plentiful in agricultural and wood waste.

However the yeast which are most efficient at producing ethanol cannot ferment pentose sugars, such as xylose, and yeast which can ferment xylose are not very good at producing ethanol.

Researchers from Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Singapore, used the process of gene shuffling to integrate the genomes of xylose tolerant P. stipitis and the glucose loving, ethanol tolerant (but xylose intolerant) S. cerevisiae. In the first round of shuffling the P. stipitis genome was transferred into S. cerevisiae.

Recombinant strains were selected for their ability to grow on xylose and then for their ability to produce ethanol. In a second round of gene shuffling the S. cerevisiae genome was transferred into the best of these strains and the resulting strains tested for ethanol tolerance.

Anli Geng who led this study explained, "We produced a hybrid yeast, capable of producing bioethanol from xylose, which was also able to survive in high concentrations of ethanol. The main by-product of xylose fermentation was xylitol and by measuring this, along with ethanol production, we found that our hybrid was more efficient at using xylose and in producing ethanol than either of the parent strains. This yeast is only a prototype and further improvement is possible before scale up. However our results show that there is a future in recycling waste vegetation into bioethanol."

Improved ethanol production by a xylose-fermenting recombinant yeast strain constructed through a modified genome shuffling method - Wei Zhang and Anli Geng Biotechnology for Biofuels (in press)

.


Related Links
BioMed Central
Bio Fuel Technology and Application News






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








BIO FUEL
Brazil to build first algae-based biofuel plant
Rio De Janeiro (AFP) July 24, 2012
The world's first industrial plant producing biofuels from seaweed will be built in the northeastern Brazilian state of Pernambuco in late 2013, the official in charge of the project said Thursday. The factory to be set up by Austrian firm SAT on a sugar cane plantation that yields ethanol, will produce 1.2 million liters of algae-based biofuels annually, Rafael Bianchini, head of SAT's Braz ... read more


BIO FUEL
China launches US solar dumping probe

Renewable Resources Completes First Residential Solar PV Installation

US Solar Companies can Compete with China with a Bit of Innovation

OSU students and Stahlin contribute to Haiti solar power project

BIO FUEL
Beating the fuel prices: Using yeast for economic production of bioethanol

The Future of Biomaterial Manufacturing: Spider Silk Production from Bacteria

New Cuban biodiesel looks to 'bellyache bush'

White rot fungus boosts ethanol production from corn stalks, cobs and leaves

BIO FUEL
SeaRoc to provide full installation services on Narec's Offshore Anemometry Hub

Italian police seize giant wind farm in mafia probe

GL Garrad Hassan releases update of WindFarmer 5.0

U.S moves massive wind farm plan forward

BIO FUEL
Japan owner of disputed islands wants to sell

France maintains shale gas ban: environment minister

Chevron buys energy blocks in Iraqi Kurdistan

China's downturn affecting coal

BIO FUEL
Apollo Energy Assists Businesses Cutting Commercial Energy Costs

Ireland calls for interconnector approval

Report: Canada can be energy superpower

Outside View: Energy independence key

BIO FUEL
Calling all truckers ... not!

Skoda Auto posts record first-half sales on China surge

Carnegie Mellon's smart headlight system will have drivers seeing through the rain

EU push for car CO2 cuts faces industry, green criticism

BIO FUEL
Conflict, hunger, cholera and locusts: Mali's woes mount

Scientists Develop New Carbon Accounting Method to Reduce Farmers' Use of Nitrogen Fertilizer

Enhanced royal jelly produces jumbo queen bee larvae

Refining the tool kit for sustainable fisheries

BIO FUEL
New Notre Dame research raises questions about iris recognition systems

PayPal stuffs startup into its smartphone wallet

Heat is Source of 'Pioneer Anomaly'

To Extinguish a Hot Flame, DARPA Studied Cold Plasma




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement