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IMAGE: Scientists from Hiroshima University and AIST in Japan engineered the bacterium Moorella thermoacetica to produce a volatile chemical from gaseous substrates at high temperature. It will realize economical thermophilic syngas. view more
Credit: Yutaka Nakashimada, Hiroshima University
Acetone, a volatile solvent used for everything from removing nail polish and cleaning textiles to manufacturing plastics, could get a sustainability boost from a new strain of bacteria engineered by a research team based in Japan.
They published the details of the heat-loving, acetone-producing bacteria called Moorella thermoacetica on April 23 in
AMB Express.
Acetone is typically produced through the widely used cumene method, which is cost-effective but not sustainable. The process, developed in 1942, involves converting two non-renewable resources into acetone and phenol, another chemical that helps manufacture a number of materials, including plastics.