Patent ID: 8481285
Filing Date: 2013-07-09
Classification: C07C,C10G,C12N,C12P,Y02P

Abstract:
1. A method for producing hydrocarbons, comprising: (i) culturing an engineered photosynthetic microbe in a culture medium, wherein said engineered photosynthetic microbe comprises a recombinant acyl-ACP reductase enzyme and a recombinant-alkanal decarboxylative monooxygenase enzyme; and (ii) exposing said engineered photosynthetic microbe to light and an inorganic carbon source, wherein said exposure results in the conversion of inorganic carbon by said engineered photosynthetic microbe into alkanes, wherein at least one of said alkanes is selected from the group consisting of tridecane, tetradecane, pentadecane, hexadecane, and heptadecane, and wherein the amount of said alkanes produced is at least two times greater than that produced by an otherwise identical microbe lacking said recombinant enzymes and cultivated under identical conditions.