''Clostridium autoethanogenum'' is an anaerobic bacterium that produces
ethanol
Ethanol (abbr. EtOH; also called ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol, drinking alcohol, or simply alcohol) is an organic compound. It is an alcohol with the chemical formula . Its formula can be also written as or (an ethyl group linked to a ...
from
carbon monoxide
Carbon monoxide (chemical formula CO) is a colorless, poisonous, odorless, tasteless, flammable gas that is slightly less dense than air. Carbon monoxide consists of one carbon atom and one oxygen atom connected by a triple bond. It is the simple ...
, in so-called
syngas fermentation, being one of the few known microorganisms to do so. It is
gram-positive
In bacteriology, gram-positive bacteria are bacteria that give a positive result in the Gram stain test, which is traditionally used to quickly classify bacteria into two broad categories according to their type of cell wall.
Gram-positive bact ...
,
spore-forming, rod-like,
motile
Motility is the ability of an organism to move independently, using metabolic energy.
Definitions
Motility, the ability of an organism to move independently, using metabolic energy, can be contrasted with sessility, the state of organisms th ...
, and was first isolated from rabbit feces. Its type strain is strain JA1-1.
Its genome has been sequenced
and the genes required for utilising carbon monoxide as a sole carbon and energy source have been determined.
Uses
This species is the key to the technology developed by Lanzatech to create ethanol from waste carbon monoxide gas of factory emissions.
References
Further reading
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External links
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LPSN
Gram-positive bacteria
autoethanogenum
{{Clostridia-stub