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The goal to reduce the demand for gasoline, diesel, petrol, and jet fuels derived from petroleum has included the development of biofuels in recent years. However, biofuels have not yet developed to the point where they can compete with fuels made from petroleum in terms of manufacturing costs. Genetically modified plants that can manufacture necessary chemical components or bioproducts are frequently used in conventional biofuel production. As a cutting-edge technique for targeted genomic engineering for biofuel production, the CRISPR a prokaryotic molecular immunity system has evolved.
CRISpy-pop, a web-based tool, makes it easier to genetically modify bacteria that produce bioenergy.
A team of researchers from the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC) has developed "CRISpy-pop," an easy-to-use online application. Researchers can boost microbial production through precise genetic change using CRISPR/Cas9, the gene editing method that earned its developers a Nobel Prize. To find the best places to splice the DNA of a population of microorganisms that produce biofuel, users of CRISpy-pop can study the genomic data of the entire population.
Algae-Based Fuels: the wisest choice
Synthetic Genomics, a business located in California, is attempting to use algae to increase the production of biofuels. The business has developed strains of algae that generate twice as much fat, which is subsequently utilized to make biodiesel using CRISPR-Cas9. It is not commercially feasible to create biodiesel from algae because they do not naturally produce fat levels that are high enough.
Researchers could identify and then eliminate the genes that restrict the creation of fats thanks to CRISPR gene editing. This alteration makes algae substantially more effective at turning CO2 into ethanol. Plants, algae, and cyanobacteria naturally convert carbon dioxide and sunlight into byproducts. The resulting sugars, lipids, or alcohols are all possible alternative fuel sources. Researchers have demonstrated that CRISPR is effective in specific types of cyanobacteria, algae, and numerous important biofuel crops. To manufacture biofuels, bacteria may also degrade the cell walls of plants, and certain species are capable of making fuel precursors from wastes like landfill methane. Key microorganisms that naturally contain a portion of the pathways required to produce biofuels have been subjected to CRISPR. It takes work to get these organisms to thrive while producing fuel precursors. CRISPR's accuracy and effectiveness enable the kind of intricate genetic tinkering that may make biofuels a practical substitute.
• Private firms like Algenol in Florida or Synthetic Genomics in Southern California fund and actively pursue the majority of technological innovation in the algae biofuel industry. However, the U.S. government has also contributed significantly by sponsoring initiatives and collaborating with commercial companies to search for the ultimate algal strain (or many combined) that would successfully compete with fossil fuels cost-effectively.
• Businesses like Algenol and TerraVia Holdings (formerly Solazyme), which made significant investments in algae biofuel in the early 2000s, switched their focus to the production of consumer products a few years ago. Despite the turnaround, some companies, like Sapphire Energy, failed. As said, Shell and Chevron, who first made significant technological investments, have given up on it.
The development of camelina variants for the progress of biofuels is now possible thanks to a new licence agreement between three companies and the usage of CRISPR-Cas9 and gene editing techniques.
• The parties to the deal are Corteva Agriscience, the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, and Sustainable Oils. They claimed that the CRISPR/cas9 method would be utilized to generate camelina for use as an energy source.
• The most recent and intriguing advancement in CRISPR-Cas9 for biofuels was made by a team of Brazilian scientists who genetically modified the fungus T. reesei to create a variety of enzymes that efficiently convert carbohydrates into second-generation ethanol. Up to 80% of the enzyme formulations used in biofuels to break down lignocellulosic materials currently contain T. reesei. The efficacy of the fungus's generated enzymes, the rate of enzyme secretion, and the fungus's ability to survive on a less expensive carbon source were all improved by CRISPR-Cas9 (sucrose-rich molasses).
Newly developed events
• Triton Algae Innovations unveiled plant-based algae components and its first retail item, a tuna alternative, in March 2021. The firm employs the single-celled Chlamydomonas algae species Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. It is created via a scalable and economical heterotrophic technique. These goods are non-GMO by nature.
• Reliance Life Sciences declared in February 2020 that it would lead various algae-based initiatives, including producing kerosene and aviation fuel from organic waste. Reliance also uses recent gene editing developments to greatly boost algae's productivity.
• In October 2019, ExxonMobil and the IIT officially promulgated their partnership. Two of the research institution's sites, Madras and Mumbai, signed five-year collaborations with a focus on advancing research in the fields of biofuels and bioproducts production, gas transportation and conversion, climate and environment effect, and low-emissions solutions for the energy and industrial sectors.
• ExxonMobil made an intriguing energy announcement in 2017 that it had created a strain of algae using CRISPR gene-editing technology. Since then, the business has shared its "Miniature Science" video campaign to spread the notion that algae might "power the trucks, ships, and aircraft of the future." ExxonMobil and Synthetic Genomics are now collaborating to achieve the goal of producing 10,000 barrels of algal biofuel daily by 2025.
