Biofuels and Clean Energy
Everyday Products
Future Products
Since there have only been recent developments for this kind of technology and plenty of speculation, there is no known product or service that is currently available to the public. However, many innovators dream about the endless possibilities of the synthetic microbe and have begun development. Here is a few that might just show up in a few years and radically change the world.
Pharmaceuticals
One of the most commonly theorized products is biomass energy conversion and petroleum alternatives. One product, developed by LS9, is a microbial cell that can break down sugar into the cost-effective diesel alternatives: methyl ester and alkane that is excreted harmlessly from the cell. These diesel alternatives would replace the energy-rich fuel in the powering of heavy equipment.
Another category of products promoted by the advent of synthetic microbes are bio-pharmaceuticals or drugs synthesized by microbes. One example of a bio-pharmaceutical is Stitaglipton, developed by Codexis (click HERE to learn about Codexis) and Merck. Although not truly created by a microbe, it is an enzyme that did not exist in the natural world and is created by manipulating an enzyme in a cell.
One day, microbial factories will be creating many products that are commonplace in our society. One such product is Bio-Acrylic created by OPX Biotechnologies, the company discussed in previously (click HERE to learn about OPXBIO). Acrylic is an $8 billion market petrochemical that is used in a wide variety of industrial products ranging from paints to diapers. Another bioproduct is bio-succinic acid. This $7.6 billion market ranges from the development of plastics to clothes. The company, Myriant developed a synthetic microbe that utilizes carbon dioxide and biomass waste to fuel the efficient development of succinic acid.
Picture #6 These products can range from shoes that can automatically kill dirt or maybe a container that can disinfect itself!
There are endless of possibilities when thinking of ways to use synthetic microbes. In the environmental field,biosensors can be made to detect substances that can contaminate. these certain sensors can also provide information to kill these substances with synthetically engineered plants and micro organisms. Recently nine students participating in the 2012 International Genetically Engineered Machine competition designed a biosensor to detect contaminated water in developing nations. The best part of this discovery was that it had minimal costs as a student says about the product, “Samples can be tested in the field with minimal cost and high sensitivity.” A picture of the the team that made the bio sensor can be found on your right.
Environmental
Picture #8 The team working on the biosensors were a group of university students! Wow!
Benefits of these Products
The benefits of using a synthetic microbe developed product versus one that is made through factories or even genetically engineered organisms is on thing. CONTROL. With products made by conventional means, there is usually no way of knowing how much product is going to be made, how much pollution would the technique excrete and whether the technique is cost-efficient. With synthetic microbes, this all changes. Scientists can just engineer a microbe that can use carbon dioxide for energy, excrete a certain amount of material, be able to replicate itself to make more material, and prove itself capable of raking in great profits.
Microbial communities are a great way to study interactions in the biological field as well as evolution.