This has to be seen (ok, read…) to be believed.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article4133668.ece
That guy? He’s about to be the richest man on the planet. Who says genetic alteration is a bad thing now? If this is for real, this is simply awe-inspiring. There are questions to be answered (how long does it take, for one) and certainly issues to be resolved (making it economically sound and distributable), but this is just nuts. Bacteria that poops oil. And it does it by eating waste. Imagine turning your lawn clippings into a tank of gas.
By: Creaking Door - 18th June 2008 at 00:13
Do you remember Tomorrow’s World?
About twenty-five years ago there was an item about the shortage of copper and how bacteria had been developed that would ‘eat’ low grade copper ore (that was uneconomic to smelt) and hey-presto cheap copper!
Copper prices are through roof now but I’ve never heard anything more about that bacteria.
Will the oil-pooper go the same way?
By: SOC - 17th June 2008 at 20:39
‘pooping crude oil’ is a bit over stating the case
Maybe, but it made for a catchy title 😀
By: zoot horn rollo - 17th June 2008 at 20:18
Interestingly, I spent today at a conference on extracting biodiesel from single celled algae. In theory I can believe what he is saying, although ‘pooping crude oil’ is a bit over stating the case.
But you can use algae (and bacteria) in the treatment of sewage waste (for example) and if you can find the right variety of algae and feed it sunlight, nutrients and CO2 and also the right conditions for growing it and then work out an efficient way of extracting the oil then then yes, this maybe the third generation of biofuels.
The latest Boeing 2008 Environmental Report suggests that micro algae may produce 500 times the amount of biofuels per hectare than coventional biofuel crops like maize and soya beans.
By: old shape - 17th June 2008 at 19:46
This has to be seen (ok, read…) to be believed.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article4133668.ece
That guy? He’s about to be the richest man on the planet. Who says genetic alteration is a bad thing now? If this is for real, this is simply awe-inspiring. There are questions to be answered (how long does it take, for one) and certainly issues to be resolved (making it economically sound and distributable), but this is just nuts. Bacteria that poops oil. And it does it by eating waste. Imagine turning your lawn clippings into a tank of gas.
He will be rich. Because the Oil companies will buy the patent for millions (Off he goes to the Sunset) and the oil companies will never release that patent.
It happened to the ever-lasting battery in the 1940’s (50’s maybe) and will happen to anything else that threatens the mighty industries.
Which is bad for us all.
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June 17, 2008 at 7:11 am