Bioengineered E. coli produce plastic

Scientific American reports:

Scientists at San Diego–based Genomatica, Inc., have announced success in manipulating the bacteria to directly produce butanediol (BDO), a chemical compound used to make everything from spandex to car bumpers, thereby providing a more energy-efficient way of making it without oil or natural gas.

"We have engineered the organism such that it has to secrete that product in order for it to grow," says bioengineer Christophe Schilling, president and co-founder of the company, launched in 2000 to develop such chemical-producing microbes. "The interests of the organism are aligned with our interests: It grows faster when it produces more."

Comments

[BillyDinPVD]

Great news...'cause we really need more plastic on the face of the Earth (and under it in landfills).