Imperial College London
Alternate

Dr. Patrik R. Jones

Faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Life Sciences

Professor of Metabolic Engineering
 
 
 
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Contact

 

+44 (0)20 7594 5213p.jones

 
 
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Location

 

503Sir Alexander Fleming BuildingSouth Kensington Campus

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Summary

 

Publications

Citation

BibTex format

@article{Kremer:2015:10.3389/fbioe.2015.00112,
author = {Kremer, F and Jones, PR and Blank, LM and Akhtar, MK},
doi = {10.3389/fbioe.2015.00112},
journal = {Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology},
title = {A comparison of the microbial production and combustion characteristics of three alcohol biofuels: ethanol, 1-butanol, and 1-octanol},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2015.00112},
volume = {3},
year = {2015}
}
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RIS format (EndNote, RefMan)

TY  - JOUR
AB  - Over the last decade, microbes have been engineered for the manufacture of a variety of biofuels. Saturated linear-chain alcohols have great potential as transport biofuels. Their hydrocarbon backbones, as well as oxygenated content, confer combustive properties that make it suitable for use in internal combustion engines. Herein, we compared the microbial production and combustion characteristics of ethanol, 1-butanol, and 1-octanol. In terms of productivity and efficiency, current microbial platforms favor the production of ethanol. From a combustion standpoint, the most suitable fuel for spark-ignition engines would be ethanol, while for compression-ignition engines it would be 1-octanol. However, any general conclusions drawn at this stage regarding the most superior biofuel would be premature, as there are still many areas that need to be addressed, such as large-scale purification and pipeline compatibility. So far, the difficulties in developing and optimizing microbial platforms for fuel production, particularly for newer fuel candidates, stem from our poor understanding of the myriad biological factors underpinning them. A great deal of attention therefore needs to be given to the fundamental mechanisms that govern biological processes. Additionally, research needs to be undertaken across a wide range of disciplines to overcome issues of sustainability and commercial viability.
AU  - Kremer,F
AU  - Jones,PR
AU  - Blank,LM
AU  - Akhtar,MK
DO  - 10.3389/fbioe.2015.00112
PY  - 2015///
SN  - 2296-4185
TI  - A comparison of the microbial production and combustion characteristics of three alcohol biofuels: ethanol, 1-butanol, and 1-octanol
T2  - Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2015.00112
UR  - http://hdl.handle.net/10044/1/25310
VL  - 3
ER  -
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