Researchers at the north Richland campus have discovered a way to develop a component of jet fuel from a common black fungus commonly found in decaying leaves, soil and rotting fruit. The discovery could pave the way for an economical method to biologically produce aviation fuels in coming years.
There's still work to do to refine the process needed to produce the fuel, particularly in large quantities, said lead researcher Birgitte Ahring. But this initial find has a lot of potential, as has been the case before with microscopic life.
"When (Alexander) Fleming first found antibiotics in a Petri dish, it was a tiny amount," Ahring said.
Ahring, who came to the university in 2008 and is the Battelle distinguished professor of the Bioproducts, Sciences and Engineering Laboratory, or BSEL, facility, has worked on the project for two to three years. She was motivated to find a game-changer when it came to biofuels, something akin to the discovery of ethanol, which is often produced from corn, she said.
The WSU system was designated as a Center for Excellence in Alternative Jet Fuels and Environment by the Federal Aviation Administration in 2013 with a particular emphasis on jet fuel development. Part of the program's work is going through BSEL, a joint partnership between WSU Tri-Cities and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
Ahring's team has used the black fungus, Aspergillus carbonarius, in other research. And biofuels researchers have long been interested in fungi because they can produce hydrocarbons, the main component of petroleum, but work in the area was limited, a news release said.
