Created by Stephen Sarria and Assistant Professor Pamela Peralta-Yahya, the new fuel production technology leverages a strain of E. Coli to synthesize pinine, an energy dense hydrocarbon found in pine trees.
In their method, the two young scientists use E. Coli as a carrier for two enzymes, three pinene synthases & three geranyl diphosphate synthases (both of which are found in trees). By inserting these enzymes into the bacteria, they turned the biological mechanisms of the organism into pinine-producing factories that yield a high-energy precursor to a tactical fuel.
Currently, JP-10, the most commonly used rocket fuel, is fairly difficult to produce with only a minute amount available per barrel of oil. Any new method for creating addition fuel could be a boon to the aerospace industry.
While the researchers’ work has yielded fine results, there’s still a lot of work to be done if their fuel synthesis method is to be commercially viable. At this point the duo’s most vexing problem is overcoming a bottleneck created by their method’s natural, biochemical processes.
Back in their lab the two researchers are forging ahead with their bio-engineered fuel creation method and looking to increase their pinine yields. In the distant future Peralta-Yahya and Sarria believe they’ll be able to compete with the $25 / gallon price point pegged to JP-10 fuel.
If they can reach that point rocketry could become a lot less expensive, and E. Coli might become the first bacteria to make a direct contribution to space exploration.
Image Courtesy of Georgia Tech & NASA