Posted on 05/06/2015 11:57:27 AM PDT by Red Badger
Washington State University researchers have found a way to make jet fuel from a common black fungus found in decaying leaves, soil and rotting fruit. The researchers hope the process leads to economically viable production of aviation biofuels in the next five years.
The researchers used Aspergillus carbonarius ITEM 5010 to create hydrocarbons, the chief component of petroleum, similar to those in aviation fuels.
Led by Birgitte Ahring, director and Battelle distinguished professor of the Bioproducts, Sciences and Engineering Laboratory at WSU Tri-cities, the researchers published their work in the April edition of Fungal Biology.
The fungus produced the most hydrocarbons on a diet of oatmeal but also created them by eating wheat straw or the non-edible leftovers from corn production. Fungi have been of interest for about a decade within biofuels production as the key producer of enzymes necessary for converting biomass to sugars. Some researchers further showed that fungi could create hydrocarbons, but the research was limited to a specific fungus living within a specific tree in the rainforest, and the actual hydrocarbon concentrations were not reported.
Ahring's group has previously been successful in using standard Aspergillus fungi to produce enzymes and other useful products, which have been patented and are under commercialization, so they decided to look into A. carbonarius ITEM 5010's potential for biofuels.
Fungi are complex microorganisms and are not always easy to work with, Ahring said. They have a complex biology that is often poorly understood.
"Not many people in this world actually do this,'' she said. "The molecular biology piece of it is complicated.''
The researchers were assisted by Kenneth Bruno, a researcher at the U.S. Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, who developed a method essential for the genetic manipulation of A. carbonarius. The research received funding from the Danish Council for Strategic Research under the program for Energy and Environment.
Using fungi for hydrocarbon and biofuels production is better than other methods because they do the work themselves, bypassing multiple complicated chemical processes required by other biofuel production methods. Fungi also have great potential to create the fuel at low cost, Ahring said.
She suspects the fungi produce hydrocarbons, large compounds that are costly for the organism to produce, as a protective mechanism. Her group showed that fungi react to bacterial attacks by increasing their hydrocarbon production.
The researchers are now working to optimize the fungi's hydrocarbon production and improve biochemical pathways through genetic engineering. They have obtained mutants with a higher production level and are working on improving these strains by using gene coding for specific hydrocarbons out of blue green bacteria and algae.
It's the same challenge faced by mold researchers, more than a generation ago, who found they could only produce a tiny amount of their product, Ahring said. Eventually, they optimized production of their product, which became known as antibiotics.
"It's very promising,'' she said. "I think that the fungus-based fuels are something that is going to happen. It's a tremendous opportunity. ''
Washington State University doctoral student Malavika Sinha, left, examines new mutant of Aspergillus carbonarius with researcher Birgitte Ahring. Credit: Washington State University
Rest In Peace, old friend, your work is finished..... 
If you want ON or OFF the DIESEL ”KnOcK” LIST jut FReepmail me..... This is a fairly HIGH VOLUME ping list on some days.....
For the record, yeast is a fungus.
The scientist is a fun guy, I’ll bet.
For the record, yeast is a fungus.
There are “morning afters” that I’d swear I was doing this internally.
Yeast is a plant............
They told us in JHS science class waaaay back in the 60’s yeast was a plant.
Now it’s a fungus? When did it move from the plant kingdom? Were the taxes too high?.......
sorry but I had to check it out
wiki.....
Yeasts are eukaryotic microorganisms classified in the kingdom Fungi, with 1,500 species currently described[1] (estimated to be 1% of all described fungal species).[2] Yeasts are unicellular, although some species with yeast forms may become multicellular through the formation of strings of connected budding cells known as pseudohyphae, or false hyphae, as seen in most molds.[3] Yeast size can vary greatly depending on the species, typically measuring 3–4 µm in diameter, although some yeasts can reach over 40 µm.[4] Most yeasts reproduce asexually by mitosis, and many do so by an asymmetric division process called budding.
Your inner bacteria were b probably releasing tons of CO2................and methane..........
Yeah, I read that as well. All these years I have been lied to by my HS Science Teacher!....................
Nope, FUN GALS...............
But Gus the gardener’s left now and you went with him, too
The fungus here reminds me of the fun Gus is having with you
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yt-gelf52Dc&list=RDYt-gelf52Dc
Well i will have lot’s of this bio fuel covering my yard come this Nov if any of these guys want to collect it up and have it....
You could be the Saudi Arabia of Fungi-fuel?............
Don't argue yeast with a recovering homebrewer
Sure you can make jet fuel, gasoline or other fuels from fungus, turkey guts or any other hydrocarbon, but at what cost? This is a nice experiment in a lab, but it will likely never be a replacement for petroleum. Sad to think how much taxpayers money will be wasted on this pipedream
My whole life has been a lie!......................well, that part of it anyways..............
In this instance the fungi are making the fuel all by themselves! Just gotta get a bigger tank, that’s all........................
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