Enzymatic missiles
But making these “missiles” isn’t easy. Enzymes are very unstable and, like milk, spoil when improperly stored. Temperature is a particular challenge. Food waste must be heated to kill pathogens, but the heat can also destroy enzymes and the bacteria that produce them. You have to find a heat-tolerant bacterium and a suitable vector.
“I have a database of more than 8000 microbial species. I first have to find potential sources of enzymes, and then study their capabilities to identify strong candidates,” says Young. “You hit bottlenecks, and fail often. The key is figuring out the reasons for the failures.”
He jokes, “The hard part is managing your own feelings.” While the work isn’t easy, the challenges can be overcome. Changing your perspective on problems sometimes leads to new discoveries.
Young sees his microbial database as his arsenal, and his work on it has yielded many discoveries. Many years ago, some students noted that he had had more than 30 new species of bacteria published in the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, and suggested that he name his new bacterial discoveries after himself. Rather than doing so immediately, he set himself a challenge: he would do so when he discovered his 100th bacterium. But bacterium number 100 wasn’t merely a new species. Discovered in 2014, it turned out to represent an entirely new genus, which he named Youngimonas. As of this writing, Young has identified more than 150 new bacteria.
Heated to kill off pathogens, this freshly processed organic fertilizer is steaming hot.