Magic ’shrooms… not what you think
One of the fascinating things about the quest for superior biofuel production is the study of how some organisms, primarily strains of bacteria and fungi, break down biomass in nature. Scientists are in a rush to identify and then genetically engineer a super-organism capable of breaking down cellulose and lignin with the greatest of efficiency and under the lowest-cost conditions. Using such organisms requires far less energy input that other processes that require intense heat.
One of the latest research pursuits is happening at the University of Warwick in the U.K., where scientists there are trying to genetically decode a mushroom called Agaricus bisporus, which as “secondary decomposers” have proven much more effective at breaking down material that other fungi and bacteria have a difficult time tackling.
Hmmm… looks like termite guts have some competition.
The mushrooms, one of the most widely cultivated species in the world, offer another benefit. “Several Agaricus species are able to hyper-accumulate toxic metals in soils at a higher level than many other fungi. Understanding how the mushroom does this improves prospects of using such fungi for the bioremediation of contaminated soils,” according to the university.
Tyler Hamilton is senior energy reporter and columnist for the Toronto Star, Canada's largest daily newspaper. In addition to this Clean Break blog, Tyler writes a weekly column of the same name that discusses trends, happenings and innovators in the cleantech market. This blog is a personal project started in April 2005. It is not an official blog of the newspaper. Tyler can be reached at tyler@cleanbreak.ca
October 24th, 2007 at 1:53 pm
This study if proven succesful would have great effects on the planet, I, if able, would support this idea completely.