This disclosure provides a composting system and method. The system comprises: (a) a container configured to contain a composition and comprising (i) insulated walls, (ii) an air intake and (iii) a vent; and (b) a composition contained in the container. The composition comprises aerobic microorganisms, a carbon source and a nutrient source sufficient to support growth of the aerobic microorganisms. The container is sufficiently insulated so that heat generated by aerobic respiration is sufficiently retained in the container to maintain a heat gradient in the container. The container is dimensioned to generate a stack effect that moves air into the air intake, through the composition and out the vent. The moving air provides oxygen to support growth of aerobic microorganisms, making the stack effect self-sustaining as long as a carbon source and nutrients last. The insulation can maintain temperatures in the composting cell sufficient to kill pathogenic microorganisms.

Enzymes and methods are described herein for manufacturing terpenes, including terpenes.

Methods for biosynthesising hydrocarbons from a gaseous substrate in non-naturally occurring acetogens as well as non-naturally occurring acetogens for production of hydrocarbons are provided.

The disclosure relates to the biosynthesis of terpenoids, such as, for example, geraniol and derivatives thereof, using genetic engineering. In particular, the disclosure relates to the biosynthesis of nepetalactol, nepetalactone, dihydronepetalactone, and derivatives thereof. The disclosure provides recombinant cells genetically engineered to produce high levels of nepetalactol, nepetalactone and/or dihydronepetalactone. The disclosure also provides methods of producing nepetalactol, nepetalactone and dihydronepetalactone using cell-based systems as well as cell-free systems.

There is provided a method for producing a recycled material, whereby a recycled material can be efficiently obtained from a tire. The method for producing a recycled material according to the present invention includes a step of subjecting a tire to a gasification treatment to generate a gas containing a C1 gas from the tire, and a step of obtaining a recycled material containing at least one species selected from the group consisting of isoprene, butadiene, a butanediol compound, a butanol compound, a butenal compound, succinic acid, and polymers of these compounds by using the gas containing the C1 gas.

Methods of and system for growing and maintaining an optimized/ideal active yeast solution in the yeast tank and fermenter tank during the fermentation filling cycle are provided. A new yeast stage tank is used between the yeast tank and the fermenter tank allowing yeast to rapidly produce a huge amount of active young yeast cells for a fermenter during the filling period. A measurable and useful controlling factor, % DT/% Yeast by weight ratio (or “food” to yeast ratio), is used (e.g., % DT=glucose), which offers information on the health status of the yeast. The controlling factor is used to control the status of the yeast throughout the entire process.

Methods of and system for growing and maintaining an optimized/ideal active yeast solution in the yeast tank and fermenter tank during the fermentation filling cycle are provided. A new yeast stage tank is used between the yeast tank and the fermenter tank allowing yeast to rapidly produce a huge amount of active young yeast cells for a fermenter during the filling period. A measurable and useful controlling factor, % DT/% Yeast by weight ratio (or “food” to yeast ratio), is used (e.g., % DT=glucose), which offers information on the health status of the yeast. The controlling factor is used to control the status of the yeast throughout the entire process.

The disclosure provides a method for producing an isoprenoid alcohol, isoprenoid alcohol derivative, or a terpene precursor thereof by microbial fermentation. Typically, the method involves culturing a recombinant bacterium in the presence of a gaseous substrate whereby the bacterium produces an isoprenoid alcohol, isoprenoid alcohol derivative, terpene or a precursor thereof. The microorganism may comprise one or more exogenous enzymes.

The present invention relates to a method for solubilising arabinoxylan-containing material (particularly insoluble arabinoxylan-containing material), comprising admixing a xylan-containing material with a xylanase comprising a polypeptide sequence shown herein as SEQ ID No. 3, SEQ ID No. 2, SEQ ID No. 1, SEQ ID No. 9, SEQ ID No. 10. SEQ ID No. 11 or SEQ ID No. 15, or a variant, homologue, fragment or derivative thereof having at least 75% identity with SEQ ID No. 3 or SEQ ID No. 2 or SEQ ID No. 1 or SEQ ID No. 9 or SEQ ID No. 10 or SEQ ID No. 11 or SEQ ID No. 15; or a polypeptide sequence which comprises SEQ ID No. 3, SEQ ID No. 2, SEQ ID No. 1, SEQ ID No. 9, SEQ ID No. 10. SEQ ID No. 11 or SEQ ID No. 15 with a conservative substitution of at least one of the amino acids; or a xylanase which is encoded by a nucleotide sequence shown herein as SEQ ID No. 6, SEQ ID No. 5, SEQ ID No. 4, SEQ ID No. 12. SEQ ID No. 13. SEQ ID No. 14. SEQ ID No. 16. SEQ ID No. 17 or SEQ ID No. 18, or a nucleotide sequence which can hybridize to SEQ ID No. 6, SEQ ID No. 5, SEQ ID No. 4, SEQ ID No. 12, SEQ ID No. 13, SEQ ID No. 14. SEQ ID No. 16. SEQ ID No. 17 or SEQ ID No. 18 under high stringency conditions, or a nucleotide sequence which has at least 75% identity with SEQ ID No. 6, SEQ ID No. 5, SEQ ID No. 4, SEQ ID No. 12, SEQ ID No. 13, SEQ ID No. 14, SEQ ID No. 16. SEQ ID No. 17 or SEQ ID No. 18, or a nucleotide sequence which differs from SEQ ID No. 6 or SEQ ID No. 5 or SEQ ID No. 4 or SEQ ID No. 12 or SEQ ID No. 13 or SEQ ID No. 14 or SEQ ID No. 16 or SEQ ID No. 17 or SEQ ID No. 18 due to the degeneracy of the genetic code, or a xylanase obtainable (or obtained) from Fusarium verticilloides. The present invention also relates to a novel xylanase comprising (or consisting of) a polypeptide sequence shown herein as SEQ ID No. 3, SEQ ID No. 2 or SEQ ID No. 1, or a variant, homologue, fragment or derivative thereof having at least 99% identity with SEQ ID No. 3 or SEQ ID No. 2 or SEQ ID No. 1; or a xylanase which is encoded by a nucleotide sequence shown herein as SEQ ID No. 6, SEQ ID No. 5 or SEQ ID No. 4, or a nucleotide sequence which can hybridize to SEQ ID No. 4 or SEQ ID No. 5 under high stringency conditions, or a nucleotide sequence which has at least 97.7% identity (preferably 98% identity) with SEQ ID No. 6, SEQ ID No. 5 or SEQ ID No. 4. The present invention yet further relates to methods relating to feedstuffs, malting and brewing, processing of grain-based materials such as during the production of bioethanol or biochemical (e.g. bio-based isopropanol), or wheat gluten-starch separation processes and the like.

Described herein are genetically-engineered organisms comprising synthetic operons for the production of isoprenoids, carotenoids, and retinoids, optimized for use in a hydrocarbonoclastic organism, and methods for the synthesis and extraction of isoprenoids in a biofilm bioreactor comprising the genetically-engineered organisms.