U researchers contribute to bid for more renewable energy

by Tom Crann, Minnesota Public Radio

St. Paul, Minn. — President Obama made his pitch for more forms of renewable energy to lessen America's dependence on foreign oil this week. His goal is to cut oil imports by a third by the year 2025.

One form of renewable petroleum fuel is a step closer to becoming a reality. In a study published in the most recent Journal of Biological Chemistry, University of Minnesota researchers took fatty acids created from two different types of bacteria, and converted those fatty acids into fuel.

Larry Wackett, a professor in the department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics at the University of Minnesota, talked with with MPR's Tom Crann to discuss the research his team is conducting.

Broadcast Dates

• All Things Considered, 04/01/2011, 5:43 p.m.