Researchers at UCSF have come up with a technique to turn cellulosic materials like switchgrass into a fuel precursor by exploiting genetically enhanced yeast and bacteria.

Bacteria and yeast -- they are the superstars of fermentation. Wine, cheese, antibiotics, weird bathroom smells -- you can thank microbial fermentation for these. Ideally, combining both can reduce the time and/or number of processing steps required to make chemicals and fuels. Right now, several companies are trying to turn plant material into fuel with yeast, but the yeast die after the alcohol hits a certain percentage.

In the UCSF process, biomass is converted into methyl halide. Microbes produce methyl halides naturally, but not at the levels required for fuel production. Besides making fuel, methyl halides can be used to make industrial chemicals, which green chemistry companies like Genomatica say could even be more lucrative.

"Using a symbiotic co-culture of the engineered yeast and the cellulolytic bacterium Actinotalea fermentans, we are able to achieve methyl halide production from unprocessed switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), corn stover, sugar cane bagasse, and poplar (Populus sp.). These results demonstrate the potential of producing methyl halides from non-food agricultural resources," the paper, in the Journal of American Chemisty, states.