Looking Beyond Biofuels

This recent column in the Economist highlights the critical problems inherent in a biodiesel-based approach to solving the world’s fuel problems. With the recent food shortages and food riots around the world, many have questioned the wisdom of an alternative fuel approach that removes food from world markets. The United States has limited capacity for biodiesel production, and as the article points out, “few countries have anything like enough arable land to feed themselves and grow biofuels at the same time.” A possible alternative lies in synthetic biology, which allows scientists to harness the power of naturally occurring bacteria which, after some genetic “tweaks” could produce essential hydrocarbons quickly and – most importantly – without exacerbating food woes by removing food products from the market.