1. Bioengineering the Future
with Shell Oil

2. Transport Fuels
75% of liquid fuels are used for transport. 70% of that in cars.
Retail fuel is 95% fossil alkanes and 5% from a biological source.
By 2020, global demand for bio-derived fuels will be 500B litres.
Wood Image

3. The Exeter-Shell Projects
Development of High-throughput
Mutant Analysis and Wax Imaging
Bacterial Population Sampling
for HC Production
Alkane Synthesis in
Mycobacterium
Inducible Wax Synthesis
In Salt Cress
High-throughput
Screen Development
Genes for Alkane Production in
Higher Plants
Rhodosporidium toruloides
Genome Analysis
Forced Evolution
& Mutagenesis for
Increased FA
Alkane Production & Secretion
in Vibrio furnissii
Gene & Pathway
Discovery
HC Synthesis Screen in
Oleaginous Yeasts
Molecular & HC Analysis
Of Isolated Mutants
Molecular
Bioinformatics
HC Analysis
Molecular Control of HC
Production & Secretion
in Botryococcus braunii
Molecular Control of Hydrocarbon Synthesis &
Secretion in Bacteria, Yeast and Algae
for Advanced Biofuel Production
Botryococcus braunii Culture Systems
Productivity & HC Extraction
B. Braunii Genome
Evolution
B. braunii-Bacterial
Interactions
Alkane Synthesis in
Desulfovibrio
Metabolism &
Enzymes
Culture Systems
& DSP
Synthetic Ecology
for Optimum Algal Growth
Alkane Synthesis in
cyanobacteria
Synthetic Biology
C-Flux Engineering
In Yeast
FA Catabolism in
cyanobacteria
Variable Chain Length & Branched HC
in Fermentative Microbes

4. Branched fatty acyl-ACP
Synthetic Biology
ILV
Keto acid
bkdAA & bkdAB
MDHLA
ilvE
bkdB
acoL
Engineer the production of gasoline, jet-fuel, diesel and lubricant oil in E. coli that are identical to fossil fuels.
Biological Alkanes require no alteration of current engine technologies.
Acetyl CoA
accA to accD
Malonyl-ACP
Keto acyl CoA
fabH
fabHB
Fatty acyl-ACP
Branched fatty acyl-ACP
tesA
luxD
FFA
luxD
FATB1
FATB1
luxC & luxE
F-al
NpAD
Alkanes & alkenes

5. “Third Generation” Biofuels from Algae
Renewable.
Sustainable.
Productive.
CO2 Mitigation.
Experimental.

6. Botryococcus braunii Oils.
Synthesises and secretes very long chain hydrocarbons.
Major fossil component of oil wells.

7. Botryococcus braunii Research.
Genome sequencing and bioinformatics to elucidate oil biosynthetic pathways & interactions with symbiotic bacteria.
Quantify B. braunii physiology for Life Cycle Analysis.
Model and test oil production in industrial culture conditions.