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Researchers Engineer Microbes to Produce Green Chemicals and Plastics 21st January 2020

Researchers Engineer Microbes to Produce Green Chemicals and Plastics

Researchers have copied the way organisms produce toxic chemicals without harming themselves, paving the way for greener chemical and fuel production.

The new technique, pioneered by Imperial College London scientists, could reduce the need to use fossil fuels to create chemicals, plastics, fibers and fuels.

Currently, many useful chemicals are produced from fossil fuels, which require mining, are of limited supply, and disrupt the carbon cycle. An alternative is to engineer microorganisms like Escherichia coli (E. coli) and cyanobacteria to more sustainably produce the chemicals directly from atmospheric carbon dioxide.

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