美國一名植物科學與植物病理學教授率領研究團隊，在巴塔哥尼亞（Patagonia）雨林內發現一種獨特的真菌，從真菌的纖維素中直接製造出柴油化合物。史特博（Gary Strobel）教授指出，「這是首度發現像真菌這樣的有機體，能夠提煉出多樣柴油成分，」這是替代能源發展上的重大發現，且為取代石化燃料帶來新契機。
史特博在11月最新一期《微生物學》期刊中，發表他發現巴塔哥尼亞真菌獨特能力的文章，其學名為「粉紅粘帚菌」（Gliocladium roseum）。粉紅粘帚菌寄生於巴塔哥尼亞雨林的Ulmo樹幹內。
史特博描述他們當初如何發顯自己已經找到一種提煉燃料的全新物質。「我們曾試著將Ulmo樹中真菌的組織，曝露在白粘帚菌的揮發性抗生素之中，目的就是為了找出全新的真菌。」「結果當幾乎所有的真菌無法在這些氣體下存活時，粉紅粘帚菌竟意外地逆勢生長，甚至可自體製造揮發性抗生素」。
「於是當我們檢驗粉紅粘帚菌的氣體成分時，訝異地發現它正在產生大量的碳氫化合物與衍生物。」史特博因此將這種由真菌提煉而成的燃料稱為「真菌柴油」（myco-diesel）。
史特博表示，「真菌甚至可以從纖維素中製造柴油混合物，與當今人類使用的任何材料比較之下，更適合作為生質燃料的來源」。
事實上，現有許多公私立校所的實驗室正密集研究直接從纖維素提煉生質酒精的方法，而不少公司則從廢木料、都市廢棄物與農作物殘渣中，培養出試驗階段規模的纖維乙醇。
美國國內農地每年平均製造將近4.3億噸的作物殘渣，使得許多科學家試著利用這些龐大資源，研究如何轉變成生質燃料。現階段的處理方法是以纖維酵素讓這些廢料發酵，而這種酵素可以將纖維素轉換為糖。微生物接下來將糖進一步發酵成乙醇，供作燃料之用。
史特博說道，「當我們發現粉紅粘帚菌可以分解纖維素時，每個人都非常興奮。和糖相較之下，儘管以纖維素培養真菌時所產生的真菌柴油相對較少，然而相信透過新發酵技術的發展與基因模組的操作，未來將有助於提升真菌柴油的生產量」。
史特博指出，「當作物被用作為生產生質燃料的原料時，必須經過加工才能透過微生物發酵，變成有價值的柴油混合物；不過，粉紅粘帚菌的優點就在於可以直接從纖維素中製造真菌柴油」。
史特博畢生遊走世界尋訪可能含有微生益菌的奇異植物，而他此次的重大發現，顛覆了我們過去對於提煉石化燃料方法的傳統認知。
A unique fungus that makes diesel compounds directly from cellulose has been discovered living in trees in the Patagonian rainforest. "These are the first organisms that have been found that make many of the ingredients of diesel," said Professor Gary Strobel, professor of plant sciences and plant pathology. "This is a major discovery." The discovery may offer an alternative to fossil fuels, said Strobel.
Strobel's paper, published in the November issue of the journal "Microbiology," is based on his discovery of the unique properties of the Patagonian fungus, called Gliocladium roseum. "Gliocladium roseum lives inside the Ulmo tree in the Patagonian rainforest," Strobel begins, telling the story of how he and his team learned that they had found an entirely new source of fuel.
"We were trying to discover totally novel fungi in this tree by exposing its tissues to the volatile antibiotics of the fungus Muscodor albus," Strobel recounts. "Quite unexpectedly, G. roseum grew in the presence of these gases when almost all other fungi were killed. It was also making volatile antibiotics."
"Then when we examined the gas composition of G. roseum, we were totally surprised to learn that it was making a plethora of hydrocarbons and hydrocarbon derivatives." Strobel calls the fuel produced by the fungus "myco-diesel."
"The fungus can even make these diesel compounds from cellulose, which would make it a better source of biofuel than anything we use at the moment," said Strobel.
Intense research into ways of making ethanol fuel directly from cellulose now is taking place in public, private and university labs, and several companies are producing demonstration scale cellulosic ethanol from wood waste, from municipal solid waste and from agricultural residue.
Nearly 430 million tons of plant waste are produced from U.S. farmland alone every year, material that scientists are learning to convert to biofuel. In current biofuel production, this waste is treated with enzymes called cellulases that turn the cellulose into sugar. Microbes then ferment the sugar into ethanol that can be used as a fuel.
"We were very excited to discover that G. roseum can digest cellulose," Strobel said. "Although the fungus makes less myco-diesel when it feeds on cellulose compared to sugars, new developments in fermentation technology and genetic manipulation could help improve the yield."
"When crops are used to make biofuel they have to be processed before they can be turned into useful compounds by microbes," said Strobel. "G. roseum can make myco-diesel directly from cellulos."
Professor Strobel, who travels the world looking for exotic plants that may contain beneficial microbes, says his discovery brings into question our knowledge of the way fossil fuels are made.
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