Offshoot of previous iGEM projects and research methods projectsc

In previous years, our team focussed more on lab safety than energy production. Last year, we worked on creating a kill switch within E. Coli, so that the strain labs used would not survive outside of lab conditions. Upon hitting a roadblock with that project, we turned towards our current undertaking. A student last year had already begun the research towards raising E. Coli resistance to alcohol, so we decided to continue down that path using his building blocks.

Lack of resources

One of the major issues surrounding today’s society is that we are running out of energy. Many of our fossil fuel resources are being depleted, and while rudimentary renewable resources are being developed, most of them aren’t cost-effective enough to be used by the general population. Bacteria, on the other hand, is readily available.

Alcohol Production = Fairly Similar to Fossil Fuels in Terms of Energy Output

We would use bacteria in isbutanol production by raising the bacteria’s resistance to said alcohol. Most other types of clean energy production - such as ethanol from corn, for example - are far less efficient than many fossil fuels. Isobutanol, however, is much more similar to gasoline energy output.