Missoula (MT) - Gary A. Strobel, professor of plant pathology at Montana State University, has recently published his findings on a type of microscopic fungus living in trees, called Gliocladium roseum, which naturally gives off components of rocket fuel and diesel fuel. Strobel believes organisms like these which shed raw hydrocarbon components could be partially responsible for the vast underground oceans of crude oil we have today. In addition, he also sees them as a path toward new ways of producing bio-fuels. Could the fungus among us be the key in a tree which powers our needs to eternity?







Hydrocarbon components



According to the press release, "The harmless, microscopic fungus, known as Gliocladium roseum (NRRL 50073), lives quietly within ulmo trees in the Patagonian rainforest," which is in Chile.

When first discovered, the fungus was emitting annulene, a component of rocket fuel. Strobel has since discovered that altering the fungus's environment coaxes it into producing different kinds of byproducts, including octane and heptane which are two components of diesel fuel. In addition, when oxygen levels are brought low the fungus does not die, but begins to behave like those living deep underground.






Bruce Hamilton, program director of the National Science Foundation's division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental and Transport Systems, said "Dr. Strobel's research on a microbial route from biomass to hydrocarbon-based fuels is resulting in very exciting findings. This is a promising area of biofuels research, and it is wonderful to see his work move so rapidly into peer-reviewed, published literature."

While there's still a long way go before we find out if fuels can be created from the byproducts of this fungus, or if they can be harvested in sufficient numbers to truly be an alternate fuel source, finding a fungus capable of generating raw fuel components is a huge step in the right direction.

There are other notable potential sources of alternate bio-fuels. Two leading sources are a nut plant from India, which is 50% vegetable oil by weight. It is currently being researched for mass production in California. There's also a form of seawater algae which is 50% oil by weight, which has the advantage of being able to be grown in tankes placed where there is otherwise useless land, such as deserts where sunlight is abundant to power the filtration, mixing, salination and temperature controls.


Additional information



Strobel's findings were published in the November, 2008 issue of Microbiology. He is continuing this research in conjunction with his son, who is chair of Yale University's department of molecular biophysics and biochemistry. Read more at Montana State University's faculty page on Dr. Gary A. Strobel. There are several links on this page on myco-diesel, endophytes and Gliocladium roseum, including MP3 downloads and coverage on NPR.