Recent advances in production of bioenergy carrying molecules, microbial fuels, and fuel design - A review

•Production of bioenergy molecules needs metabolic pathway reconstruction.•Yield of 1-butanol with C. acetobutylicum using overexpression reached 130 g/L.•Yield of ethanol with 2,3-butanediol pathway by CRISPR remains low at 3.2 g/L.•Hydrogenation with carbon encapsulated Co catalyst yields 99% furfuryl alcohol.•Tailor-made fuels involve fuel synthesis through catalytic refunctionalization.