Question

Cyanobacteria have been engineered to produce isobutanol directly. What advantage does this have over other alternative biofuels?
a.
It is an inherently renewable fuel source.
b.
Multiple processing steps can be avoided.
c.
They produce chemical energy through photosynthesis.
d.
They make a biofuel alternative to gasoline.

Answer 1

b. Multiple processing steps can be avoided.

Explanation: Engineering cyanobacteria to secrete isobutanol lets the fuel be produced directly from CO2 and sunlight, eliminating upstream biomass growth/harvest and downstream conversion/fermentation/processing steps required for many other biofuels.