Ethylene-to-Butanol

Ethylene-to-Butanol


Program:
REMOTE
Award:
$1,500,000
Location:
Davis, California
Status:
ALUMNI
Project Term:
01/07/2014 - 09/30/2017

Technology Description:

The University of California, Davis (UC Davis) will engineer new biological pathways for bacteria to convert ethylene to a liquid fuel. Currently, ethylene is readily available and used by the chemicals and plastics industries to produce a wide range of useful products, but it cannot be cost-effectively converted to a liquid fuel like butanol, an alcohol that can be used directly as part of a fuel blend. UC Davis is addressing this problem with synthetic biology and protein engineering. The team will engineer ethylene assimilation pathways into a host organism and use that organism to convert ethylene into n-butanol, an important platform chemical with broad applications in many chemical and fuel markets. This technology could provide a transformative route from methane to liquid biofuels that is more efficient than ones found in nature.

Potential Impact:

If successful, UC Davis’ new biocatalyst would enable cost-effective conversion of ethylene into an existing infrastructure-compatible fuel.

Security:

An improved bioconversion process could create cost-competitive liquid fuels significantly reducing demand for foreign oil.

Environment:

This technology would allow for utilization of small-scale remote natural gas resources or methane and carbon rich gas residues for fuel production reducing harmful emissions associated with conventional fuel technologies.

Economy:

Expanding U.S. natural gas resources via bioconversion to liquid fuels could contribute tens of billions of dollars to the nation's economy while reducing or stabilizing transport fuel prices.

Contact

ARPA-E Program Director:
Dr. Marc von Keitz
Project Contact:
Dr. Shota Atsumi
Press and General Inquiries Email:
ARPA-E-Comms@hq.doe.gov
Project Contact Email:
satsumi@ucdavis.edu

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Release Date:
03/15/2013