Scientists looking at how microbes contaminate biofuels

In Washington, DC, the American Chemical Society is exploring studies that look at how microbes are becoming a concern for airlines and fleet operators who use biofuels. Operators are noticing contamination of microbes in biodiesel blends that wasn’t an issue before and scientists are looking into how to rectify the issue. A recent scientific study found several bacteria and fungi in fuel tanks that coated metal planes with slime and led to corrosion and pitting. Another team has been looking at how genomes can help understand how the microbes metabolize the fuels to find safe ways of preventing contamination.