|
Engineering Enzymes for Energy Production
David L.
Ollis
A
B
,
Jian-Wei
Liu
A
and
Bradley J.
Stevenson
A
A
Research School of Chemistry, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia.
B
Corresponding author. Email: ollis@rsc.anu.edu.au
Australian Journal of Chemistry
65(6)
652-655 http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/CH11452
Submitted: 30 November 2011 Accepted: 15 February 2012 Published:
24
April
2012
|  |
|
|
Abstract
Harvesting the energy of sunlight can be achieved with a variety of processes and as one becomes obsolete, others will need to be developed to replace it. The direct conversion of sunlight into electrical energy could be used to provide power. Energy could also be obtained by combusting hydrogen produced by splitting of water with sunlight. None of these direct approaches will entirely satisfy the entire energy needs of a modern economy and the conversion of biological materials into liquid fuels for transport and other applications may prove to be important for tomorrow’s energy needs. In fact, biofuels such as bioethanol and biodiesel are already used in many countries. However, the long-term viability of these fuels depends on the efficiency of the processes used to produce them. We outline here a method by which ethanol can be produced using enzymes that can be optimized for this purpose. 
|
References
[1]
S. N. Naik, V. V. Goud, P. Rout, A. K. Dalai, Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev. 2010, 14, 578.
| CrossRef | CAS | 
[2]
J. Goldemberg, Biotechnol. Biofuels 2008, 1, 6.
[3]
A. Banerjee, Dev. Change 2011, 42, 529.
| CrossRef |
[4]
G. Bokinsky, P. P. Peralta-Yahya, A. George, B. M. Holmes, E. J. Steen, J. Dietrich, T. Soon Lee, D. Tullman-Ercek, C. A. Voigt, B. A. Simmons, J. D. Keasling, Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 2011, 108, 19949.
| CrossRef | CAS |
[5]
T. Maeda, V. Sanchez-Torres, T. K. Wood, Appl. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 2007, 77, 879.
| CrossRef | CAS |
[6]
S. Atsumi, T. Hanai, J. C. Liao, Nature 2008, 451, 86.
| CrossRef | CAS |
[7]
E. J. Steen, Y. Kang, G. Bokinsky, Z. Hu, A. Schirmer, A. McClure, S. B. Del Cardayre, J. D. Keasling, Nature 2010, 463, 559.
| CrossRef | CAS |
[8]
C. Wang, S. H. Yoon, A. A. Shah, Y. R. Chung, J. Y. Kim, E. S. Choi, J. D. Keasling, S. W. Kim, Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2010, 107, 421.
| CrossRef | CAS |
[9]
P. P. Peralta-Yahya, M. Ouellet, R. Chan, A. Mukhopadhyay, J. D. Keasling, T. S. Lee, Nat. Commun. 2011, 2, 483.
| CrossRef |
[10]
F. H. Arnold, A. A. Volkov, Curr. Opin. Chem. Biol. 1999, 3, 54.
| CrossRef | CAS |
[11]
N. J. Turner, Nat. Chem. Biol. 2009, 5, 567.
| CrossRef | CAS |
[12]
C. J. Jackson, E. M. J. Gillam, D. L. Ollis, in Comprehensive Natural Products Chemistry II: Modern Methods in Natural Product Chemistry (Eds L. N. Mander, H.-W. Liu) 2010, Vol. 9, Ch. 20, pp. 723–749. (Elsevier: Oxford, UK).
[13]
B. J. Stevenson, J.-W. Liu, P. W. Kuchel, D. L. Ollis, J. Biotechnol. 2012, 157, 113.
| CrossRef | CAS |
[14]
B. J. Stevenson, J.-W. Liu, D. L. Ollis, Biochemistry 2008, 47, 3013.
| CrossRef | CAS |
[15]
L. O. Ingram, T. Conway, D. P. Clark, G. W. Sewell, J. F. Preston, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 1987, 53, 2420.
| CAS |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
e-Alerts
Connect with us
