Mould makes corny fuel

(ISU) researchers have used mould to convert corn fibre into ethanol, a discovery which could turn by-products of corn milling into another source of fuel.

Tony Pometto, ISU professor of food science and human nutrition, has isolated a particular fungus that he and other researchers have used to successfully convert corn fibre that’s typically used for animal feed into ethanol.

The discovery could boost US ethanol production by about 4 per cent, or 606 million litres a year, said Hans van Leeuwen, an Iowa State professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering.

“I believe this is a breakthrough,” said van Leeuwen, the leader of the research project. “But I also want to caution that we need to do a lot more research.”

So far, the researchers have demonstrated they have a process that can convert corn fibre, a by-product of the wet milling process that produces corn syrup, into fuel-grade ethanol on a very small scale. the next step is to try it on a larger, pilot scale and experiment using other by-products of corn processing.