Envisioning the Bioconversion of Methane to Liquid Fuels

Advances in enzymatic pathways and bioreactor design could allow microorganisms to transform methane into chemicals and fuels. Efforts to use natural gas in transportation, either directly or by conversion to a liquid fuel, have been spurred by recent increases in available supply and a growing pric...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2014-02, Vol.343 (6171), p.621-623
Main Authors: Conrado, Robert J., Gonzalez, Ramon
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
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Bioconversion
Biotechnology
Carbon
Dehydrogenases
Energy efficiency
Enzymes
Fuels
Liquefied natural gas
Liquid fuels
Methane
Methane biosynthesis
Oxidation
PERSPECTIVES
Production efficiency
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Summary:Advances in enzymatic pathways and bioreactor design could allow microorganisms to transform methane into chemicals and fuels. Efforts to use natural gas in transportation, either directly or by conversion to a liquid fuel, have been spurred by recent increases in available supply and a growing price spread between natural gas and petroleum, especially in the United States ( 1 ). Conversion of natural gas-to-liquids (GTL) can take advantage of existing engine and delivery infrastructure, but GTL approaches operate on scales similar to that of petroleum refineries and suffer from low energy and carbon efficiencies, as well as high capital cost ( 2 ). Small-scale methane sources that are often flared or vented and that add greenhouse gas emissions also need an economical route for recovery. Biological methane conversion has the potential to directly activate methane at ambient temperatures and pressures on a scale similar to that of sugar fermentation ( 3 ) and could circumvent partial oxidation routes used industrially that dominate costs and reduce efficiency. Further process simplification is possible by one-step conversion, producing a single-molecule product and reducing the need for heat integration.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.1246929