Engineered photosynthetic bacteria, method of manufacture of biofuels
AssigneeUchicago Argonne, LLC
InventorsPhilip D. Laible, Seth W. Snyder
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention provides for a novel type of biofuel; a method for cleaving anchors from photosynthetic organisms; and a method for producing biofuels using photosynthetic organisms, the method comprising identifying photosynthesis co-factors and their anchors in the organisms; modifying the organisms to increase production of the anchors; accumulating biomass of the organisms in growth media; and harvesting the anchors.
Claims19
A method for producing phytol and phytol-related branched C20 alcohols for biofuels using bacteriochlorophyll producing bacteria, the method comprising:
- a. modifying the bacterium's bacteriochlorophyll biosynthesis pathway to increase production of chlorophyll and its anchors which range in length from 5 carbons to 70 carbons;
- wherein the bacterium's bacteriochlorophyll biosynthesis pathway is modified by inserting and expressing in the bacterium a gene encoding a heterologous plant chlorophyllase and by modifying the organism's genome to no longer express phytoene synthase by deleting a gene coding for the enzyme crtB;
- b. growing the modified bacterium in suitable growth media so as to accumulate biomass;
- and
- c. harvesting the phytol and phytol-related branched C20 alcohols from the biomass.
A method for producing phytol, the method comprising:
- a. modifying a Rhodobacter organism by inserting and expressing in the organism a gene encoding a heterologous plant chlorophyllase and by modifying the organism's genome to no longer express phytoene synthase by interrupting a gene coding for the enzyme crtB;
- b. growing the organism to accumulate biomass;
- c. removing phytol from the biomass.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.