E. coli bacteria engineered to eat switchgrass and make transportation fuels

E. coli bacteria engineered to eat switchgrass and make transportation fuels: Strains of E. coli bacteria were engineered to digest switchgrass biomass and synthesize its sugars into gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. The switchgrass, which is among the most highly touted of the potential feedstocks for advanced biofuels, was pre-treated with ionic liquid, a key to the success of this study.