The ascomycete Paecillomyces variotii was evaluated for the first time as a candidate species for the
production of bioethanol from lignocellulose through consolidated bioprocessing (CBP) approaches.
The examined strain (ATHUM 8891) revealed all the necessary phenotypic characteristics required for
2nd generation biofuel production. The fungus is able to efficiently ferment glucose and xylose to ethanol,
with yields close to the theoretical maximum. Nitrogen supplementation greatly affected ethanol production
with nitrate-nitrogen presenting the best results. Notably, ethanol yield on xylose fermentation was
higher than that of glucose, while in co-fermentation of glucose–xylose mixtures no distinguished
diauxic behavior was observed. Furthermore, the fungus seems to possess the necessary enzyme factory
for the degradation of lignocellulosic biomass, as it was able to grow and produce ethanol on common
agro-industrial derivatives. Overall, the results of our study indicate that P. variotii is a new and possibly
powerful candidate for CBP applications.