Designer organisms for photosynthetic production of ethanol from carbon dioxide and water
US7973214B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 25, 2007 |
| Grant date | Jul 5, 2011 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 5, 2029 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY02P60/20
- WIPO fieldBiotechnology
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
The present invention provides a revolutionary photosynthetic ethanol production technology based on designer transgenic plants, algae, or plant cells. The designer plants, designer algae, and designer plant cells are created such that the endogenous photosynthesis regulation mechanism is tamed, and the reducing power (NADPH) and energy (ATP) acquired from the photosynthetic water splitting and proton gradient-coupled electron transport process are used for immediate synthesis of ethanol (CH3CH2OH) directly from carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H2O). The ethanol production methods of the present invention completely eliminate the problem of recalcitrant lignocellulosics by bypassing the bottleneck problem of the biomass technology. The photosynthetic ethanol-production technology of the present invention is expected to have a much higher solar-to-ethanol energy-conversion efficiency than the current technology and could also help protect the Earth's environment from the dangerous accumulation of CO2 in the atmosphere.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.