Question

What is lipid droplets? Why can it be used as a new biofuel?

Answer 1

Answer:

Nowadays energy generation heavily relies on fossil fuels causing environmental challenges. The global biofuels supply has increased by a factor of 8% since 2010, but only comprises 4% of the world’s transport fuels in 2015. The development of next generation of biofuel becomes increasingly important due to the depletion of fossil fuels and in the meantime to overcome challenges for current biofuels production – high cost and low efficiency. The biological production of lipid droplets in oleaginous microorganisms like microalgae, yeast, fungi, and bacteria becomes a promising path to the next generation of biofuels.

The lipid droplet (LD) is a cellular organelle that consists of a neutral lipid, mainly of triacylglycerols (TAGs) and cholesteryl esters, cored with a monolayer-phospholipid membrane and associated proteins. Lipid droplets widely exist in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, could be collected and extracted for biofuel manufacturing. However, this technology is now limited in lab research. Methods to improve the lipid droplet production in oleaginous microorganisms, biomass pretreatment, lipid droplet extraction, industrial scalability are still under development. The experience of liposome manufacturing provides us a solid ground for lipid droplet studies and helps our clients move to a further step of new biofuel development.

Explanation:

https://www.creative-biostructure.com/Lipid-Droplets-Biofuel-Supply-626.htm