Cyanobacteria explored for biofuels potential; twice as efficient as algae in photsynthesis

Science Daily provides a major update on the biofuels capabilities of cyanobacteria, and their superior photosynthesis capabilites that can convert up to 10 percent of the sun’s energy into biomass, compared to the one percent recorded by conventional energy crops such as corn or sugarcane, or the five percent achieved by algae.

An article from a workshop sponsored by the European Science Foundation warns that, should humankind be unable to develop alternatives to fossil fuels, the planet’s atmosphere would likely return to the carbon-dioxide greenhouse environment that existed 3.7 billion years ago when cyanobacteria first evolved and sequestered the carbon in biomass.

The article details exploration both of genetically engineering plants and cyanobacteria to produce liquid fuels, the other in building artificial photosynthetic systems made with industrial components.

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