The fact, that some bacteria can produce butanol, is nothing new. At the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Communication (FEEC), BUT, they deal with one particular strain and try to modify its genes to increase butanol production. It could then serve, for example, as an alternative biofuel.

Karel Sedlář, a researcher from FEEC BUT, is focused on examining the bacteria Clostridium beijerinckii NRRL B-598. It is an anaerobic organism that tolerates oxygen well and produces solvents such as acetone, ethanol and butanol. A particular strain of these bacteria produces butanol in the largest amount. “The advantage is that these bacteria can transfer residues, such as chicken feathers and straw, to butanol that can be used as a biofuel," explains Karel Sedlář of the Department of Biomedical Engineering.

These bacteria are not normally found in nature and need to be developed. “We collaborate with the UCT Prague. They deal with the biological part. We get the data, which we process, and try to find out as much as possible about the genome of the bacterium and to predict how it will behave under certain conditions," Sedlář added.

So far, bacteria produce butanol at a concentration of about seven grams per litre, which is a relatively small amount. In addition to the bacteria themselves, butanol is toxic, so they die. “Our goal is to figure out how to pump butanol more efficiently from cells. We would like to map how the genes interact with each other," the young scientist has shown plans for the future.

Source: https://zvut.cz/napady-objevy/napady-a-objevy-f38103/na-elektrofakulte-zkoumaji-bakterie-ktere-produkuji-butanol-d174022