Journal of Microbial & Biochemical Technology

Role of Microbes in Production of Biofuel

Justine Gerardo^* Department of Biology, O. Wayne Rollins Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
^*Correspondence: Justine Gerardo, Department of Biology, O. Wayne Rollins Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA, Email:

Received: 28-Dec-2021, Manuscript No. JMBT-22-479; Editor assigned: 30-Dec-2021, Pre QC No. JMBT-22-479 (PQ); Reviewed: 14-Jan-2022, QC No. JMBT-22-479; Revised: 18-Jan-2022, Manuscript No. JMBT-22-479(R); Published: 25-Jan-2022, DOI: 10.35248/1948-5948.22.14.479

Description

Biofuels are made from living organisms or the waste they produce. Ethanol, one of the most common biofuels, is made from plants. Edible parts of plants such as sugar cane (Brazil), sugar cane (France) and corn kernel (USA) are used as plant materials because they can be easily broken down into sugar (dextrose). Next, sugar can be fermented (decomposed) into ethanol by microorganisms such as yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Converting edible plants to ethanol is not only expensive. Ethical issues also play a role. It has been argued that we should not grow food for fuel when people in some developing countries cannot eat enough. There are concerns that Brazil will cut much of its rainforest for sugarcane production. This is a problem because rainforest trees consume large amounts of carbon dioxide during photosynthesis. Therefore, biofuels made from foods such as sugar cane are unlikely to provide a long-term solution to replace fossil fuels.

Scientists are studying the use of cellulose to make ethanol. Ethanol made from cellulose is exactly the same as ethanol made from parts of edible plants. Cellulose-based ethanol is made from lignocellulosic, a mixture of lignin, hemicellulose, and cellulose. These three materials make up the plant cell wall. Lignin is an adhesive that holds cellulose fibers together and gives the plant its strength. Lignocellulosic is part of a plant that remains undigested by humans and most animals. Its non-food stuff, for example Stems, sawdust, wood shavings. There is a large amount of nonedible plant waste that needs to be recycled. Scientists turned to microbes to see if they could find something that could convert cellulose, and even hemicellulose, from lignocellulosic to ethanol. The remaining by-product, lignin, can be burned for energy. They have seen the strangest places, from termite stomachs to the ground around volcanoes. They found a bundle of very different microorganisms that have in common that they produce a group of enzymes called cellulases.

The archaea Sulfolobus solfataricus inhabits a volcanic pool near Mount Vesuvius in Italy produces cellulase. Researchers are looking for ways to genetically modify this organism to improve its performance and see if it can produce more cellulase. In the future, S. solfataricus may use to produce biofuels. Another common wood fermenter is the fungus Trichoderma reesei. It is found in almost all soils and secretes large amounts of cellulase. The fungus was originally discovered by the US military during World War II. It was responsible for breaking down the cellulose in soldiers’ canvas tents and uniforms, making them very perforated. It was known as “jungle rot”.

A Canadian company is leveraging the ability of microorganisms to convert straw into glucose. The company has genetically engineered the fungus to produce even higher amounts of cellulase. Incredible 75% of straw fiber is converted to sugar. The remaining wood, lignin, is dried and then pressed into a flammable cake. Next, glucose is fermented with yeast to produce biofuel ethanol.

Algae, important living organisms will be a viable alternative to fossil fuels. Algae photosynthesize. They use the energy of sunlight to convert carbon dioxide into sugar, which is then metabolized into lipids. Algae lipids can be processed into biodiesel and algae carbohydrates can be processed into bioethanol. This works well in the laboratory of small bioreactors. Scientists are studying the potential for growing algae on a sufficient scale to see if they have the potential to become future biofuel producers. Microbes can be the key to making cars more environmentally friendly, and in the not too distant future we can all be pumped with microbial fuels.