Mushrooms make diesel

A team led by Montana State University professor has discovered a fungus that can produce a new diesel oil. The product created by this fungus is called 'myco-diesel', detailed by Gary Strobel and colleagues in the November issue of Microbiology.

This finding could provide an alternative to fossil fuels, says Strobel, a professor of plant science at MSU. He identified this finding as more important than his discovery of a fungus containing anti-cancer taxol in 1993.

In his search for exotic plants that could contain his beneficial bacteria, Strobel discovered a diesel-producing fungus in the Patagonia rainforest. Strobel came to this forest in 2002 and collected a variety of specimens, including branches from the old tree family called 'ulmo'. When he and his colleagues looked at these branches, they discovered a fungus growing inside. They continued to study and discovered that the fungus mentioned above, called "Gliocladium roseum", produced gas. Subsequent experiments showed that the fungus produced some of the compounds commonly found in diesel oil made from crude oil.

Strobel said: 'These are the first organisms to make many components of diesel. This is a very important finding. '

Strobel is the author of a paper published in Microbiology. MSU co-authors include Berk Knighton and Tom Livinghouse of the Biochemistry Department, along with Katreena Kluck and Yuhao Ren of the Department of Plant Science and Plant Pathology. Other authors include Meghan Griffin and Daniel Spakowicz of Yale University, and Joe Sears from the Experimental Center at Pasco, Wash.

Strobel is not sure when drivers can refuel with fuel from mushrooms or the amount of fuel produced is sufficient to meet demand. There are still many issues to discuss before commercialization, requiring effort from many different fields.

Myco-diesel may be an alternative to ethanol . Some car manufacturers that do not use ethanol may choose myco-diesel or fuel made from other bacteria.

A team led by Montana State University professor has discovered a fungus that can make a new diesel . (Photo: Gary Strobel)

'The question is, are there other types of bacteria capable of making fuels?'

Researchers from government agencies as well as private businesses have shown great interest in this fungus. A team that conducted further research was established between MSU Technical College and Yale University researchers. A member of the research team is the son of Strobe, Scott, head of the Department of Biophysics and Molecular Chemistry at Yale and professor at Howard Hughes Medical Academy. The MSU-Yale team will review many questions, including the genetic structure of 'Gliocladium roseum.'

Gary Strobel said: 'The main value of this discovery may not be the organism itself, but the genes that form the production of fuel. There are certain enzymes responsible for converting substrates such as cellulose into myco-diesel '.

Scott Strobel said his team is scanning the genome of the fungus mentioned above. In addition to identifying the entire genetic structure of fungi, they will perform a series of genetic and biochemical tests to identify the genes responsible for making diesel.

Scott Strobel explains: 'The broader question is which mechanism is responsible for producing these compounds. If you can identify this, you can do it on a large scale with higher output efficiency. '

Scott Strobel admitted that he agreed with his father about the importance of this discovery.
In the scientific literature, there are no bacteria that produce a wide variety of medium-sized hydrocarbons like 'Gliocladium roseum.' Longer hydrocarbon chains are quite common, but 'that's not what you put in. His fuel tank '.

Another promising aspect is that this fungus can grow in cellulose.

Scott Strobel said: 'It's the most common organic molecule in the world. It is around us, and everywhere. '

He stressed that scientists from different disciplines should work together to find ways to turn the gas produced by fungi into liquid fuels that can be burned.

Refer:
1. Strobel et al.The production of myco-diesel hydrocarbons and their derivatives by the endophytic fungus Gliocladium roseum (NRRL 50072).Microbiology, 2008;154 (11): 3319 DOI: 10.1099 / mic.0.2008 / 022186-0