Scientists from Duke University (North Carolina, United States), together with their Brazilian research partners, reported the genome structure of a bioethanol-producing yeast that is widely used in Brazil. The organism is Saccharomyces cerevisiae PE-2 (reported to be a heterothallic diploid naturally adapted to the sugar cane fermentation process used in Brazil). Findings are reported in the journal, Genome Research (URL above). According to Dr. Lucas Argueso, lead author and researcher at Duke University's Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, they took an organism (Saccharomyces cerevisiae PE-2) "that is hugely important from an industrial standpoint, but completely unknown in terms of its genetic and molecular properties". From these studies, they were able to learn more about the organization of a complex genome and how it may contribute to robust adaptation. The study suggests that industrial yeast strains may have a high rate of evolution which may enable them to adapt to stressful conditions during fermentation (for example, tolerance to increasing ethanol concentrations during fermentation). "Now we have sequenced the genome," says Dr. Argueso. "We have a road map that will allow us to build upon [the yeast's] natural abilities. This opens the door to crossing yeast strains to make even more efficient yeasts for enhanced biofuel production.".

Researchers from the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Purdue University (United States) used a modelling approach to obtain a quantitative assessment of long-term water quality impacts of land management changes associated with increased demands for corn as a transport-biofuel feedstock in the United States. Results showed that fields practicing continuous-corn rotations had lower water quality levels, compared to those which practice continuous corn-soybean rotations. The nitrogen, fungicide and phosphorus levels in water from continuous-corn rotations were higher. According to Indrajeet Chaubey, co-researcher and associate professor of agricultural and biological engineering, a shift from corn-soybean rotations to continuous corn will result in higher sediment losses. This, in turn, will "allow more fungicide and phosphorous to get into the water because they move with sediment."  The modelling results also point to "the need for additional research to fully understand the water impacts of land management decisions associated with corn grain as a feedstock for biofuel production."  More details of the study can be obtained from their paper, published in the Journal of Environmental Engineering (URL above)..

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) scientists in the United States are trying to use the tools of synthetic biology to engineer a soil-dwelling bacterium with an ability to utilize a wide variety of feedstocks and convert them to the desired biofuel. The soil-dwelling bacterium belongs to the genus, Rhodococcus. This microorganism is known to utilize a wide variety of toxic compounds, and is also related to a type that is known to cause tuberculosis. Studies on the basic biology and chemistry related to the organism have been made, and the next step is to determine strategies to improve yields. The Cleantech website report also mentions that the scientists have created a strain of the bacteria which can utilize both glucose and xylose (the main sugars after the pretreatment and saccharification of lignocellulosic biomass) into ethanol..