ROCHESTER, N.Y., March 8 U.S. scientists have discovered how biomass genes are turned on in a microorganism that produces ethanol from materials such as grass and cornstalks.University of Rochester researchers say their discovery might mean waste products such as grass clippings and wood chips --once thought too difficult to turn into ethanol -- could be fodder for hungry, gene-tweaked bacteria.The scientists say that might lead to the engineering of ethanol-producing super-organisms that can make clean-burning fuel from the nation's 1 billion unused tons of yearly biomass production.This is the first revelation of how a bacterium chooses from its more than 100 enzymes to break down a particular biomass, said Professor David Wu. Once we know how a bacterium targets a particular type of biomass, we should be able to boost that process to draw ethanol from biomass far more efficiently that we can today.The study by Wu and graduate students Michael Newcomb and Chun-Yu Chen is detailed in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.Copyright 2007 by UPI
