Organization Name: Ginkgo Bioworks
Project Title: Engineering E. coli as an Electrofuels Chassis for Isooctane Production

Ginkgo Bioworks is bypassing photosynthesis and engineering E. coli to directly use carbon dioxide (CO₂) to produce biofuels. E. coli doesn’t naturally metabolize CO₂, but Ginkgo Bioworks is manipulating and incorporating the genes responsible for CO₂ metabolism into the microorganism. By genetically modifying E. coli, Ginkgo Bioworks will enhance its rate of CO₂ consumption and liquid fuel production. Ginkgo Bioworks is delivering CO₂ to E. coli as formic acid, a simple industrial chemical that provides energy and CO₂ to the bacterial system.

Project Factsheet (PDF 319KB)

Electrofuels - Projects

• Columbia University: Biofuels from Bacteria, Electricity, and CO2
• Ginkgo Bioworks: Biofuels from E. Coli
• Harvard: Fuel from Bacteria, CO2, Water, and Solar Energy
• Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory: Turning Bacteria into Biofuel
• MIT: Natural Oil Production from Microorganisms 
• MIT: Liquid Fuel From Bacteria 
• MUSC: Liquid Fuel From Microbial Communities 
• North Carolina State University: Liquid Fuel from Heat-Loving Microorganisms 
• OPX Biotechnologies, Inc.: Engineering Bacteria for Efficient Fuel Production
• Pennsylvania State University: Genetically Modified Bacteria for Fuel Production
• The Ohio State University: Fuel from Bacteria
• UCLA: Liquid Fuel From Renewable Electricity and Bacteria
• UMASS Amherst: Biofuels from Solar Energy and Bacteria