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How can microorganisms be used to produce antibiotics, biofuels, and industrial chemicals?

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Diagram showing how epinephrine binding to a beta-adrenergic receptor on a cell membrane activates a G-protein, which then stimulates adenylyl cyclase to convert ATP into cyclic AMP (cAMP), leading to physiological effects such as increased heart rate, blood vessel dilation, and glycogen breakdown. — Biochemistry In biochemistry, researchers study the chemical substances and processes that occur in living organisms and cells. In particular, various processes by which cells gain energy, such as epinephrine-stimulated cAMP synthesis, have been deduced through the study of biochemistry.

Microorganisms serve as biological "chemical factories" that convert raw materials into valuable products through their natural metabolism or via genetic modification.1

Industrial Production

In industrial microbiology, specific microorganisms—such as bacteria, yeast, or molds—are cultivated in large-scale fermentation tanks. To be commercially viable, the organism must be nonpathogenic, grow rapidly, and produce high yields of the desired substance from inexpensive, readily available media. Once the process is complete, the product is recovered and purified from the complex mixture of microbial cells and metabolic byproducts.12

Applications

Antibiotics: Many antibiotics are produced as secondary metabolites through the fermentation processes of various molds and bacteria.12
Biofuels: Microbes are used to ferment sugars or starches into ethyl alcohol, a common biofuel. Additionally, scientists are engineering microbes to break down dense feedstocks like switchgrass or to secrete oil for renewable energy production.23
Industrial Chemicals: Microorganisms naturally produce substances such as acetone, butyl alcohol, citric acid, and lactic acid.12

Through recombinant DNA technology, scientists can now insert foreign genes into microbes to synthesize complex products—such as human insulin—on an industrial scale.1