Yeast-Based Drop-in Biofuels

Sustainable drop-in biofuel production has the potential to alleviate concerns about energy supply and climate change by offering a desirable replacement for fossil fuels. Considering the diminishing supply of fossil fuels, recent developments in the production schemes and technologies of drop-in biofuels by microbes have garnered attention. The rapid advancement of synthetic biology and metabolic engineering has demonstrated that microbes can be engineered to produce drop-in biofuels from diverse renewable feedstocks. This chapter focuses on recent developments in metabolism-targeted techniques and the yeast-based synthesis of various types of drop-in biofuels from sustainable feedstocks. It also focuses on the bioprocess engineering systems being utilized to produce and boosting the yield of drop-in biofuels. Several pathways are being followed for production using metabolic engineering; however, the presence of harmful inhibitors in the feedstock may hinder the yeasts from developing to their full capability. In summary, the production of drop-in biofuels employing yeasts could eventually provide a platform for more economic and effective drop-in biofuel production.