There is nothing surprising about this find, since microscopic organisms, which synthesize certain hydrocarbons, had been found before. The special thing about this fungus is that it makes 55 types of hydrocarbons. It was located inside wood fibers of Eucryphia cordifolia (a tree from northern Patagonia) and was named Gliocladium roseum. According to Dr. Gary Strobel (one of the authors of the research), no one has seen anything like that before. The research was reported by Montana State University.
Biodiesel, diesel, diesel fuel, biofuel producing fungus
The results of the research were published in the Microbiology magazine. Mass-spectrography indicated that the fungus excretions contain octane, 1-octen, heptane and hexadecane, which are all components of diesel fuel. Of course, the amounts are far less than what is required for industrial production. It has been suggested that the fungus uses these substances for “clearing” the adjacent surfaces from competing neighbors. However, the find will not be in vain. Scientists hope to research the genome of the fungus and extract the genes used for hydrocarbon synthesis to create industrially feasible species.