Fuel from carbon dioxide: Is it too good to be true?

Christian Science Monitor: Fuel from carbon dioxide: Is it too good to be true?

Researchers have found a way of using microorganisms to turn atmospheric carbon dioxide into energy, Ingram writes, essentially replicating the processes found in plant life. Fuel from carbon dioxide has promise, he adds, but isn't yet developed into something that can work on a large scale.

… Biomass Magazine reports the researchers have found a way of using microorganisms to turn atmospheric CO2 into energy–essentially replicating the processes found in plant life. 

During photosynthesis, plants use sunlight to transform water and carbon dioxide into sugars that the plants use for energy.

The same process takes place in a microorganism called Pyrococcus furiosus–the poetically-named "rushing fireball". Its name stems from its preferred home–next to super-heated geothermal vents in the oceans.

By manipulating the rushing fireball's genetic material, the Georgia team has created an organism that is able to feed at much lower temperatures, on carbon dioxide.

"We can take carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere and turn it into useful products like fuels and chemicals without having to go through the inefficient process of growing plants and extracting sugars from biomass," explains the University of Georgia's Michael Adams. …