McDermott International Ltd announced Wednesday that Samik Mukherjee has been appointed as the company's executive vice president and chief operating offic.
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Researchers – led by the University of York – have discovered an enzyme in a fungus which can act as a catalyst to bring about a biochemical reaction that breaks down lignocellulose
Lignocellulose is found in forestry and agricultural waste like wheat straw, which was used in this research. It has long been considered by scientists that this dry matter could be used as a sustainable resource for the production of fuels and chemicals if a way to break it down could be found so that it can be processed effectively.
Renewable
Professor Neil Bruce from the Department of Biology and Director of the Centre for Novel Agricultural Products (CNAP) said: “We believe this discovery is important as there is much interest in using lignocellulose as renewable and sustainable resource for the production of liquid fuels and chemicals.
UW researchers genetically engineered a switchgrass (foreground) to break down the explosive chemical RDX using genes from a soil bacterium. The researchers also grew a few thousand of the plantlets in the lab to prepare them to be transplanted in the field. From left to right: Ryan Routsong, Long Zhang, Stuart Strand. This photo was taken in 2018.Mark Stone/University of Washington
Large swaths of U.S. military land are covered with munitions components, including the explosive chemical RDX. This molecule is toxic to people and can cause cancer. It also doesn’t naturally break down and can contaminate groundwater.
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Cleaning up military waste with GM grass
Genetically modified grass removes toxic military waste, RDX.
Switchgrass. Credit: Jacky Parker Photography/Getty Images.
A genetically modified common grass can remove toxic military waste from soil, according to a paper published in
Nature Biotechnology.
A team of researchers, led by Neil Bruce and Liz Rylott from the Centre for Novel Agricultural Products (CNAP) at the University of York, UK, demonstrated that a genetically modified switchgrass (
Panicum virgatum) could detoxify RDX, a military explosive leftover from live-fire training, munitions dumps and minefields.
Key research points:
Genetically modified switchgrass with two bacterial genes thrived around US military sites.