Bacteria from the Zymomonas genus

Most living beings break down sugars into smaller compounds to produce energy. Some bacteria even convert these sugars into alcohols. Zymomonas bacteria have developed special strategies to produce alcohol without getting intoxicated themselves, as they are super-efficient bioethanol producers. They break down plant or food waste and ferment the sugars into valuable ethanol molecules. By providing us with an alternative energy source, these bacteria could be useful in addressing our global energy crisis.