Source: Low-Cost Second-Generation Ethanol Production Powered by Genetically Engineered Enzyme Cocktail ... The fungus Trichoderma reesei is one of the most prolific producers of plant cell wall-degrading enzymes and is widely used in the biotechnology industry. To enhance its productivity as a biofactory for the enzyme cocktail in question, the researchers introduced six genetic modifications into RUT-C30, a publicly available strain of the fungus. They patented the process and reported it in an article published in the journal Biotechnology for Biofuels. “The fungus was rationally modified to maximize production of these enzymes of biotechnological interest. Using the CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing technique, we modified transcription factors to regulate the expression of genes associated with the enzymes, deleted proteases that caused problems with the stability of the enzyme cocktail, and added important enzymes the fungus lacks in nature. As a result, we were able to allow the fungus produce a large amount of enzymes from agroindustrial waste, a cheap and abundant feedstock in Brazil,” Mario T. Murakami, Scientific Director of CNPEM’s Biorenewables Laboratory (LNBR), told Agência FAPESP. ... Bob Wilson
We've been doing such for ages now. Many organic chemicals are made with such tweaked bacteria and fungi. It's how we get vitamin C for supplements. More will have to be made in such way if the goal is to fully move away from oil. There isn't a risk with these things getting out, as the changes made to get them making large amounts of X makes them uncompetitive with wild types. At very least, they won't be dumping large amounts of X into the environment as the conditions are no longer ideal.
now if they could replicate the Russians work to output Biobutanol instead we would have a real winner as hydrous and phase separation issues wouldn’t much matter and you could interchange 95% with standard e0
There is at least one US based biobutanol company. I remember during their start up phase pushing it as fuel. Now they supply to the chemical industry because it pays better.
Ah, the Solomon Islands canvas eater Has been induced to produce a wide range of handy enzymes. I cannot keep up with its literature. Dip your toe in here: Sexual development in the industrial workhorse Trichoderma reesei | PNAS
In the Paint Shop at Toyota due to environmental regulations you must 'burn up' or somehow capture released VOC's from the painting operations. It is very expensive to do this and that is why many automobile manufactures have gone to waterborne or even powder coatings but even these have some VOC's to dispose of. We experimented with a type of microbe that would eat solvents (Volatile Organic compounds). The VOC's would be captured in rotating charcoal beds washed out and then the microbes would feast on the Volatile Organic compounds breaking them down.
"Bugs" can do a lot of interesting reactions in the test tube and of course some things are commercially feasible such as bioremediation and penicillin manufacture etc...but scale up to economic reality is an extreme difficult step. I seem to recall White Rot Fungus (seen on dead wood) is one fungus that has been closely researched for bioremdiation, but I am not sure if they've gotten anywhere good with that.
The run off socks placed around construction sites are treated with microbes and fungi that can eat oils and other contaminates that might come off the site.
