Biodetoxification 'beneficial for biofuel composition'

Removing the harsh toxins created during pre-treatment of lignocellulose from the final biofuel composition is a necessary step that has so far proved challenging in industrial processes, it is reported.

Writing for the open-access journal Biotechnology for Biofuels, a team from the East China University of Science and Technology propose a means of removing these toxins from finished biofuel composition without the need for large amounts of energy or freshwater.

Their solution is to use Amorphotheca resinae ZN1, a kerosene fungus strain seen on corn stover material prior to the pre-treatment process.

However, the researchers found that it also acts on rice straw, wheat straw, rape straw and cotton stalk to degrade toxins by metabolising them.

Previous methods required large water and energy supplies and typically removed fine particles of lignocellulose from the finished fuel.

"Biodetoxification, which degrades the toxins as part of their normal metabolism, was considered a promising option for the removal of toxins without causing the above problems," the scientists assert.