Fighter jet fuel was created from the waste of soil bacteria

Airplanes transport people, cargo and perform military missions, but the petroleum-based fuel that powers them is

is in short supply.Scientists at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory have found a way to produce alternative jet fuel by harvesting an unusual carbon molecule produced by the metabolism of bacteria commonly found in soil. Discuss

"In chemistry, everything that requires energy forproduction, releases energy upon destruction", – says study lead author Pablo Cruz-Morales. When petroleum jet fuel ignites, it releases enormous amounts of energy. Scientists thought there must be a way to replicate this without waiting millions of years for new fossil fuels to form.

Jay Kisling, chemical engineer from CaliforniaUniversity of Berkeley synthesized a molecule capable of producing a lot of energy. The molecule Kisling recreated is called Jawsamycin, which is produced by the bacterium streptomyces. This molecule is formed as a result of the bacteria's natural metabolism when they digest glucose.

Cruz-Morales explains that the fuel producedbacteria, will work like biodiesel. It will need to be processed so that it can ignite at a lower temperature, but once ignited, it will be powerful enough to send a rocket into space.