UK researchers develop TM242 bacteria, say could provide 10 percent of UK fuel needs in ethanol produced from domestic compost, municipal waste

UK researchers announced at the Society for General Microbiology meeting in Ireland that they identified and modified a “heat-loving bacteria in a compost heap, from the Geobacillus family, which in their wild form produce lactic acid as a by-product of sugar synthesis when they break down biomass.” The researchers said that “Our new microorganism, called TM242, can efficiently convert the longer-chain sugars from woody biomass materials into ethanol. This thermophilic bacterium operates at high temperatures of 60C-70C and digests a wide range of feedstocks very rapidly.” The researchers said that the bacteria could provide up to 10 percent of UK liquid fuels from straw, wood, paper and plants and other cellulosic fibre found in domestic and municipal waste, including compost heaps.

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