From compost to sustainable fuels

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http://www.concordia.ca/now/what-we-do/research/20111003/from-compost-to-sustainable-fuels.php

From compost to sustainable fuels

Posted on October 3, 2011 | by: Sylvain-Jacques Desjardins

Sequenced fungi genomes are promising agents in the creation of sustainable fuels.

Two heat-loving fungi, often found in composts that self-ignite without flame or spark, could soon have new vocations.

The complete genetic makeup of Myceliophthora thermophila and Thielavia terrestris has been decoded by an international group of scientists. The findings, published in Nature Biotechnology, may lead to the faster and greener development of biomass-based fuels, chemicals and other industrial materials.

“Organisms that thrive at high temperatures are rare. Fewer than 40 heat-loving fungi have been identified and they hold great promise in the production of many chemicals and biomass-based fuels,” says senior author Adrian Tsang, a biology professor at Concordia University and director of its Centre for Structural and Functional Genomics.

“We have cracked the genetic blueprint of two such fungi. To our knowledge these are the only organisms, aside from a few bacteria, whose genomes have been fully sequenced from end-to end,” he continues.

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nbt.1976