News Chemistry

Bacteria take plants to biofuel in one step

Engineered microbe singlehandedly transforms switchgrass to ethanol

SUPER MICROBE  Given switchgrass (shown), a modified bacterium can break down the plant, ferment sugars and produce ethanol for biofuel in a single step.

Forest and Kim Starr/Flickr (CC by 2.0)

By Beth Mole

- More than 2 years ago

A lone bacterium, genetically tweaked, can demolish switchgrass and ferment the sugary rubble to ethanol in one fell swoop.