Replacing fossil fuels with renewable alternatives is the goal of today's bio-industry. Cyanobacteria have the potential to achieve this goal, as they can be transformed into efficient »bio-factories« through the development of synthetic biology, which can enable us to produce many products from renewable raw materials in appropriate photobioreactors. The advantages of cyanobacteria that make them interesting as productive organisms are higher levels of photosynthesis and growth compared to other plants, minimal nutritional requirements, simple cultivation and genetic modification. Perspective cyanobacterial products are third and fourth generation biofuels such as ethanol, butanol, biodiesel and hydrogen, organic acids, sugars, terpenoids and bioplastics.
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