MIT team investigates cousin of TB bacteria for biofuels potential

In Massachusetts, a project at MIT is underway to manipulate Rhodococcus bacteria – a cousin of the tuberculosis bacteria — to feed on glycerol, glucose or xylose and produce lipids that can be converted to biodiesel. The synthetic biology team is also aiming to create renewable polymers. Glycerol is a waste by-product of transesterification of waste veggie oils into biodiesel.

Overall, the team is now working on yield improvement, but there is no announcement yet of a commercially viable process. The bacteria used by the team is also well known for consuming toxins, and research will continue in efforts to convert toxins to biofuels feedstocks — a prized goal in synthetic biofuels research.

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