Fungus Research Advances Biofuel Possibilities

Research on fungi at the Joint Genome Institute in Walnut Creek is heating up the nation's efforts to develop biofuels as an alternative to fossil fuels.

The scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy facility are experimenting with fungi that thrive in high-temperature environments and activate enzymes useful in decomposing biomass material. This research is outlined in a piece published on the Nature Biotechnology website.

"Thermostable enzymes and thermophilic cell factories may afford economic advantages in the production of many chemicals and biomass-based fuels," wrote the team that includes Joint Genome Institute Fungal Genomics head Igor Grigoriev, according to an institute news release.