https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/renewable-rocket-fuel-made-by-genetically-engineered-soil-bacteria/4015918.article
QuoteSynthetic biologists have genetically tweaked soil bacteria to make compounds containing chains of three-membered rings that are so energy dense that they outmuscle advanced rocket fuel.
Could be used in aviation as well.
https://www.economist.com/science-and-technology/2022/07/13/modified-bacterial-fungicides-may-propel-the-planes-of-the-future
QuoteThese are powerful enough to fuel aircraft. Many have energy densities greater than 40 megajoules per litre, more potent than most widely used rocket and aviation fuels, which average 35mj/l.
A good start, then. But if bio-pop-fames really are to replace existing jet fuel, they will have to be made cheaply. People will pay a premium for a life-saving drug; for jet fuel, not so much. And drugs do not need to be produced in quantity. Fuels do.
Always the question, "How well will it scale?"
And that question comes down to this: will this advance in a manner that is essentially linear, exponential, or hyper-exponential?
Bioengineered products have the potential for hyper-exponential growth, but many cases have taught us to emphasize the "hype" not the "exponential" portion of that word ;-)
But there are exceptions - gene sequencing has been hyper-exponential for a long time (or it was for a long time).