On March 5, 2019, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) announced that their researchers have 3D printed live cells that are able to convert glucose to ethanol and carbon dioxide gas. The substance produced from this conversion resembles beer. This means that this newly developed technology can lead to highly efficient biocatalysis. According to LLNL’s announcement, the use of live microbes rather than inorganic catalysts is advantageous because of mild reaction conditions, low cost, self-regeneration, and catalytic specificity. The particular case study used to demonstrate this experiment’s success involved printing freeze-dried live biocatalytic yeast cells into porous 3D structures. These unique geometrical structures allow the live cells to then convert glucose to ethanol and carbon dioxide gas. The long-term viability and tunable cell densities of this new bio-ink material allow for the live cells to be genetically modified for the production of chemicals, food, pharmaceuticals, and biofuels.
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