In Silicon Valley, California, scientists have just created a bacteria that feeds on plant waste... and excrete crude oil! After several months of research on bacteria DNA, they managed to isolate and genetically alter a gene to make the microscopic bug produce black gold.
These new findings pave the way for numerous solutions. Not only do these bacterias generate crude oil, but they do so while eliminating otherwise unused agricultural material such as woodchips and wheat straw.
Scientists claim that this "Oil 2.0" will be renewable and carbon negative, meaning that the carbon emited by a car would be less than that sucked from the atmosphere by the raw materials from which it is made. Impressive, isn't it?
Right now, mass production remains the only major problem with using such bacterias. The machine produces the equivalent of one barrel a week and takes up 40 square feet (3.72 sq. m) of floor space. America's weekly oil consumption amounts to 143 million barrels, which would require a facility that covered about 205 square miles (531 sq. km).
A company called LS9 is currently working on the design and construction of a commercial-scale facility, with production scheduled to begin by 2011.
As for the costs, by using Brazilian sugar cane as feedstock, the fuel produced by LS9 would probably cost about $50 a barrel. In comparison, a barrel of oil now costs $130.
photo:Jupiter Images
These new findings pave the way for numerous solutions. Not only do these bacterias generate crude oil, but they do so while eliminating otherwise unused agricultural material such as woodchips and wheat straw.
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Scientists claim that this "Oil 2.0" will be renewable and carbon negative, meaning that the carbon emited by a car would be less than that sucked from the atmosphere by the raw materials from which it is made. Impressive, isn't it?
Right now, mass production remains the only major problem with using such bacterias. The machine produces the equivalent of one barrel a week and takes up 40 square feet (3.72 sq. m) of floor space. America's weekly oil consumption amounts to 143 million barrels, which would require a facility that covered about 205 square miles (531 sq. km).
A company called LS9 is currently working on the design and construction of a commercial-scale facility, with production scheduled to begin by 2011.
As for the costs, by using Brazilian sugar cane as feedstock, the fuel produced by LS9 would probably cost about $50 a barrel. In comparison, a barrel of oil now costs $130.
photo:Jupiter Images