Sustainable liquid biofuels could be produced from a newly discovered enzyme.
Gribbles Image: Commons |
Seaside piers have long been the feeding grounds for gribbles - tiny crustaceans that bore into wood and seaweed. Now scientists have identified a highly acidic enzyme in the gribbles' gut which is extremely resistant and breaks down the wood they bore.
Scientists at York and Portsmouth Universities in the UK have discovered that the enzyme degrades cellulose and could be manufactured on an industrial scale which could lead to sustainable liquid biofuels.
To create liquid fuel from woody biomass, such as wood and straw, the polysaccharides (sugar polymers) that make up the bulk of the materials must be broken down into simple sugars. These are then fermented to produce liquid biofuels.
The gribbles' involvement - or at least that of the enzyme they produce - is in the first part of the process. According to reports, the team has transferred the genetic blueprint of the enzyme to an industrial microbe that can produce it in large quantities.
It is likely to be a more cost effective system for producing biofuels, particularly as it's robust enough to be useable with sea water. The enzyme apparently also has a longer working life allowing it to be recovered and re-used during processing.