A Fungus Shows Promise in Ethanol Production
- May 06, 2008 1:24 AM EST
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There are already numerous processes available for creating cellulosic ethanol, but it won't hurt if people get to devise more--that way, we get to choose which ones are the most efficient of the lot. Indeed, a study conducted by researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute and the Los Alamos National Laboratory brought to light a fungus which could also be used to produce cellulosic ethanol. Called Tricoderma reesei, the fungus was famous for the degradation of olive drabs such as military tents and clothing. It's able to digest cloth into simple sugars (monosaccharide) through the use of the enzyme it produces.
Due to its efficacy in digesting plant cells, one would think it would have a plethora of genes dedicated to producing the enzyme mentioned. On the contrary, it even had fewer enzyme-producing genes compared to its counterparts. Rather than having an abundance of the mentioned genes, it seems the genes are arranged in clusters, making Tricoderma reesei more efficient than others. Upon further research, the fungus could be used in an industrial scale by purifying the secreted enzyme and then adding it to cellulose pulp mixture which could be anything from switchgrass to cellulose-based municipal waste. The monosaccharide product would then be fermented using yeast to be able to produce ethanol.