identify a fuel-loving fungus?
muscaria at pacbell.net
Mon Apr 2 03:29:30 EST 2001
The NATURE video called "The Rotton World of Fungi" talks about
military ships that get their fuel filters clogged by a fungus that eats
diesel fuel. No clue is given to its idenity.
In article <3AC3469F.81548A5 at ic.ac.uk>, Edwin Hutton
<e.hutton at ic.ac.uk> wrote:
>sam.ross at dsto.defence.gov.auANTISPAM wrote:
>> Dear Netter Nutters,
>> I see that an earlier post mentions microbial contamination of fuel.
>> Several years ago, a microbiologist showed me a large conical flask
>> containing half diesel fuel and half water - at the interface,
>> there was growing a large fungus that looked a bit like a faded
>> brown moth-eaten sponge. It was fascinating. This gentleman
>> kept his fungus as a 'pet', but when he retired he took his pet
>> with him. I'm keen to identify what sort of fungus it might have
>> been. Could anyone enlighten me, or point me at any information
>> on fungi or other microbes that live happily in
>> water-contaminated petrochemical fuel? (The library here has a
>> dearth of micro text, these days).
>I can't help with identification, but when I learnt about fungi
>on a course in Sheffield University (England) we were told that
>there was even a fungus that grew on aviation spirit. I too would
>be quite interested in any information, as we were not told which
>fungus it is.
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