Biofuel Through Fungus Power?

(Image: Dr. Amir Sharon, Credit: Israel 21^st Century)


Sometimes touted as an alternative energy source to fossil fuels, biofuels have the potential to not only seriously reduce the amount of oil consumed worldwide, but pollution as well.

Unfortunately in order to do this, our species would have to convert edible food into fuel, since the non-edible parts (such as corn stalk) are much harder to convert into biofuel.

Since our fuel demands vastly outstrip our food demands, governments would probably be unlikely to consider biofuel as a serious solution. That is until an Israeli scientist discovered a little secret using nature's most useful creatures.

(Israel 21^st Century) Israeli researcher Dr. Amir Sharon of Tel Aviv University is on the trail. Sharon has discovered a transgenic fungus strong enough to convert even the most resilient plant parts into bioethanol, a chemical used for biofuel. Strengthened with an anti-death gene, this fungus is resistant to harsh conditions such as heat and toxic substances - both of which are released while converting plant biomass into ethanol. As a result, the production of ethanol using this transgenic fungus could be much more efficient than with conventional fungi.

If Israel is able to perfect this, they may not only help resolve their energy dependence woes but America's as well, as both nations are seeking ways to "go green" ASAP.

Note: It seems to me that Israel may become the very first "energy independent" nation as they are already exploring ways to turn shale and asphalt into oil and radioactive waste into useful energy.

Update: Added image credit near the top.

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