Ask around and you’ll hear that one of the greatest causes of global warming is CO2 emission. Many argue that carbon footprints left by man have torn holes in the atmosphere and caused the onset of global warming to occur. This is why so many scientists, researchers, and environmentalists have worked night and day to come up with a solution to the CO2 problem and to come up with an energy alternative. However, one small company based out of University of California Los Angeles is showing that the energy to combat CO2 may be CO2 itself.
EASEL Biotechnologies won the 2010 Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award for Recycled Fuel Breakthroughs from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and did so for their innovations in the field of CO2 production. What EASEL did was genetically modified bacteria to bring about the photosynthesis process (this is also used in the same way with algae to fuel production practices). By doing this bioprocessing, EASEL was able to convert carbon dioxide into alcohol and other carbon atoms, which then would lead it to be used for fuel. This shows that CO2, when processed in this way, could be used as a renewable and clean energy source.
EASEL Biotechnologies showed that small companies are capable of large ideas. Niranjan Shah would have to agree that methods/incentives that can get a greater number of small businesses up and running may just be instrumental in generating innovative ideas that can make the country more competitive while strengthening the economy.
