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Microbial Biocatalysis for the Alteration of Fossil Fuels

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Biocatalysts for Industry

Part of the book series: Topics in Applied Chemistry ((TAPP))

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Abstract

Fossil fuels, including coal, oil, oil shales, tar sands, and natural gas, are the world’s predominant consumable energy sources. The United States annually consumes approximately one billion tons of coal, 6.2 billion barrels of oil, and more than 18 billion cubic feet of natural gas.1 The strategic importance of these fuels has resulted in renewed interest in using biological catalysis—both whole cells and cell-free extracts—to recover, convert, process, and supplement these fossil fuels. Although the first reports of the ability of microorganisms to interact with fossil fuels date back to the late 1940s and early 1950s, large-scale technologies have not yet appeared. This fact is not due to the lack of action by microorganisms, but rather to (a) the slow rate of biological metabolic processes as compared to conventional chemical process rates, (b) a general lack of knowledge of specific metabolic and biochemical reactions, and (c) the slowness with which the potential for bioprocesses is accepted by the energy-producing community. Recent advances in genetics and biochemistry now permit modification of microorganisms and their metabolic rates, and this new development has stimulated a resurgence of interest in this area.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Bioprocessing and Biotechnology Group, Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, EG & G Idaho, Inc., P.O. Box 1625, Idaho Falls, ID, 83415, USA

    Michael E. McIlwain & Patrick R. Dugan

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  1. Michael E. McIlwain
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  2. Patrick R. Dugan
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, The University of Iowa, 52242, Iowa City, Iowa, USA

    Jonathan S. Dordick

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© 1991 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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McIlwain, M.E., Dugan, P.R. (1991). Microbial Biocatalysis for the Alteration of Fossil Fuels. In: Dordick, J.S. (eds) Biocatalysts for Industry. Topics in Applied Chemistry. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-4597-9_7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-4597-9_7

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