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Gasoline Will be Obtained Using Dung-Eating Bacteria

Good news petrol-heads! Looks like the future of gasoline-powered engines won’t be limited to the underground black-gold deposits. Some scientists managed to make an almost identical chemical compound to gasoline from genetically modified bacteria.
Bacteria Made Gasoline 1 photo
Photo: New Scientist
Even though fuel similar to gasoline was obtained from bacteria in the past, it was never a good option, as engines were clogging up by premature gum deposits on their components.

John Love, scientist at the University of Exeter, UK, managed to create a strain of E. coli bacteria that can create gasoline claimed to be structurally identical to the one found at your average gas-pump. The bacteria were fed with glucose from plant matter, the end result being the precious gasoline compound.

The scientists now have to figure how to make the process work on a massive scale. One of the next steps will be to alter the bacteria to feed on a cheaper and less impactful material, like animal dung. A research arm of the Shell oil company heard of the new breakthrough and is funding the studies already, so there is a big chance of filling up our tanks in the future with bacteria recycled dung. Hope it won’t smell like a stable.

Source: New Scientist
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