Researchers produce rare cineole biofuel from fungus, opening up broader sourcing options

In Montana, a Montana State research team, publishing in Micobial Ecology and highlighed in a recent issue of Biorefining, are reporting that a fungus of Persea indica is producing cineole, benzene, naphthalene and 1-methyl-1,4 cyclohexane. Cineole – also known as eucapyptol – can be used in an 8:1 blend with gasoline, while all four molecules can be used as diesel fuel additives.

The researchers say that the ability to produce this rare compound from a fungal source “greatly expands their potential applications in medicine, industry, and energy production.”

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