The marine wood boring species known as Gribbles have been causing trouble to fisherman throughout the world, due to their power to produce their own enzymes which helps them chew through docks and harbours in fishing towns.
Researchers have discovered that this power may have a beneficial use in the biofuel industry, which is in need of tough enzymes that can tolerate harsh conditions. Due to the fact that gribbles produce enzymes that can thrive in salt rich, high solid settings, biofuel researchers can use them to learn how to produce enzymes that operate in the same conditions, which can break biomass down into sugars that can be converted into renewable fuel and ethonol. In the end, this can serve as an ideal alternative to gasoline, diesel and jet fuel.
Ideally, industry would need very high solids and as little water as possible for biomass conversion. The gribble enzyme is not only proven to be active in high salt concerntrations, it can even be more effective in degrading biomass as the salt concerntration increases. With less water, the reactor can be reduced, leading to greater concerntration of the sugar product. This would lead to huge savings in the biofuels production plant.
The research, conducted by scientists from NREL, the University of Kentucky, and the Universities of Portsmouth and York, may hold the key to more efficient and cheaper conversion of biomass to fuel.
