"Scientists have created a genetically engineered microbe that turns the algae into low-carbon biofuel, but must make the technique commercially viable"
"The ancient art of seaweed farming could provide a solution to a 21st-century energy dilemma, with the creation of a genetically engineered microbe that turns the algae into low-carbon biofuel, scientists said on Thursday.
Biofuels have been touted as low-carbon replacements for petrol and diesel, but those made from crops like corn and sugar have been blamed for increasing global food prices and delivering only modest benefits.
Earlier studies have indicated that large-scale use of seaweed as an energy source could in theory supply the world's needs several times over and the UK government envisages between 560 and 4700 km sq of seaweed farms in its long-term energy planning.
The new microbe research, published today in the leading journal Science, represents a "critical" technological breakthrough, but the challenge of making the approach commercially viable remains."
Damian Carrington reports for the Guardian January 19, 2012.
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