Benchtop biofuels: Fine-tuning growth conditions helps cyanobacteria flourish

June 30, 2010

By hammersmith

[Source: ScienceDaily] – Cyanobacteria are among the oldest living forms in nature, responsible for generating the atmospheric oxygen we breathe today. Now Hyun Woo Kim and Raveender Vannela, researchers at the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University are perfecting the means to culture these microbes — a potentially rich source of biofuels and biomaterials — in significantly greater abundance.

The work provides a vital foundation for optimizing a device known as a photobioreactor (PBR), in which these energy-packed photosynthetic organisms proliferate.

For more information: Benchtop Biofuels: Fine-Tuning Growth Conditions Helps Cyanobacteria Flourish