Anaerobic Expression of Pyruvate Dehydrogenase for Producing Biofuels in Fermentative Pathways

Ethanol is currently the only commercially available biofuel. Although Butanol would be a better biofuel for a number of reasons, it cannot be produced efficiently enough to compete with ethanol on the market. This is because the current state-of-the-art butanol bioprocess depends upon bacteria of the genus Clostridium, which produces large quantities of byproducts. This project will develop microorganisms capable of converting biomass to butanol with greater efficiency than Clostridium. The key to this approach is the elimination of byproducts, so that butanol is the sole product. Phase I will evaluate the feasibility of the byproduct-free butanol producing microorganism. Phase II will optimize this microorganism for increased yields. Commercial Applications and other Benefits as described by the awardee: The technology should provide an option for sustainable, renewable transportation fuels, thereby reducing dependence on imported oil, lowering greenhouse gas emissions, and expanding markets for agricultural products worldwide.