Turns the paper into 'gasoline'

Old newspapers that we throw away can become fuel for cars in the future, thanks to a newly discovered bacterium.

Discovery reported scientists of Tulane University in the US have discovered a strain of anaerobic bacteria that eats old newspapers to produce butanol - organic compounds that can replace gasoline. They called the strain TU-103. They are found in the feces of many animals.

The anaerobic TU-103 can turn old newspapers into bio-butanol,
This kind of material can replace gasoline. (Photo: dreamstime.com)

This is the first time humans have discovered a strain of bacteria in nature capable of directly producing butanol from cellulose in paper. TU-103 is also the only anaerobic organism that can grow in an oxygenated environment known to man.

If people use anaerobic bacteria to ferment cellulose in a non-oxygenated environment, the cost of producing butanol will be huge. The TU-103 can ferment cellulose in an oxygen-containing environment, resulting in a sharp drop in costs.

"Our findings could help reduce the cost of producing bio-butanol ," said team leader David Mullin.

Mullin added that, compared to gasoline, biofuels produce less emissions . It also reduces the amount of wood waste, because the TU-103 can eat anything that contains cellulose, not just newspaper.

Ethanol is more commonly used biofuels than butanol , but in practice it has many advantages. The greatest advantage of butanol is that one can use it without changing the engine's car . With the same unit volume, butanol provides more energy, but the degree of corrosion is lower than that of ethanol.