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Microbial Who-Done-It for Biofuels

By Guest PostAugust 18, 2013Scienceadvanced biofuels, alkaline conditions, biofuels, blake simmons, cellulosic biomass, commercialization, diesel, gasoline, ionic liquids, jbei, jet fuels, john gladden, lignin, lignocellulosic biomass, martin allgaier, metagenomic, metaproteomic technologies, microbes, microbial enzymes, microbial populations, patrik chain, patrik dhaeseleer, renewable alternative, rhodothermus marinus, steven singer, switchgrass, thermophiles, thermophillic bacterium, thermus thermophilus, use of enzymes, woody material

New Technique Identifies Populations Within a Microbial Community Responsible for Biomass Deconstruction

One of the keys to commercialization of advanced biofuels is the development of cost-competitive ways to extract fermentable sugars from lignocellulosic biomass. The use of enzymes from thermophiles – microbes that thrive at extremely high temperatures and alkaline conditions – holds promise for achieving this. Finding the most effective of these microbial enzymes, however, has been a challenge. That challenge has now been met by a collaboration led by researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI).

Working with a compost-derived consortium of thermophillic bacterium adapted to grow on switchgrass, a leading potential fuel crop, and using a combination of metagenomic and metaproteomic technologies, the collaboration has identified individual microbial species whose enzymes were the most active in deconstructing the switchgrass biomass. Major institutes in addition to JBEI participating in this collaboration included DOE’s Joint Genome Institute (JGI), and EMSL, the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, a national scientific user facility at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). (more…)

Fetch, Boy! Study Shows Homes with Dogs Have More Types of Bacteria

New research from North Carolina State University and the University of Colorado shows that households with dogs are home to more types of bacteria – including bacteria that are rarely found in households that do not have dogs. The finding is part of a larger study to improve our understanding of the microscopic life forms that live in our homes.

“We wanted to know what variables influence the microbial ecosystems in our homes, and the biggest difference we’ve found so far is whether you own a dog,” says Dr. Rob Dunn, an associate professor of biology at NC State and co-author of a paper describing the work. “We can tell whether you own a dog based on the bacteria we find on your television screen or pillow case. For example, there are bacteria normally found in soil that are 700 times more common in dog-owning households than in those without dogs.” (more…)

Tag Archives: microbial populations

Microbial Who-Done-It for Biofuels

Fetch, Boy! Study Shows Homes with Dogs Have More Types of Bacteria