Unexpected autocatalytic effect gives light-driven enzyme a boost to synthesise green fuels | Research

An enzyme found in algae has been shown to efficiently convert medium-chain fatty acids – eight to 10 carbon atoms long – into medium-chain hydrocarbons similar to petrol. The work provides renewed hope for making green fuels from plant and algae-derived fatty acids.

In 2017, French researchers discovered fatty acid photodecarboxylase (FAP) in the green microalga Chlorella variabilis. FAP was found to be optimised to remove carboxyl groups from C16–C18 long-chain fatty acid substrates and produce hydrocarbons. As one of the few known natural photoenzymes that uses light to initiate…