DOE researchers engineer heat-loving microorganisms to produce bioalcohols

In Georgia, researchers within the U.S. Department of Energy’s BioEnergy Science Center engineered the heat-loving microorganisms to produce not only ethanol, but also a range of other alcohols. The ability to produce bioalcohols at temperatures above 70°C (158°F) has advantages over lower temperature processes, including lower risk of microbial contamination, higher diffusion rates, and lower cooling and distillation costs. This study has found the first example of significant alcohol formation in an archaeon, a single-celled organism. The work emphasizes the biotechnological potential of some archaeon to produce biofuels.