‘Gribble’ marine crustacean may be key to biofuel breakthrough.
A marine pest could be the key to a biofuel breakthrough,
say scientists. Gribble, which resemble pink
woodlice, plagued seafarers for centuries by boring through the
planks of ships and destroying wooden piers.
But now environmental scientists are taking a keen interest in the
crustaceans.
A team of British researchers has learnt that gribble have a gift
for digesting wood not seen in any other animal.
Enzymes produced by the tiny creatures are able to break
down woody cellulose and turn it into energy-rich sugars
meaning that gribble could convert wood and straw into liquid
biofuel.
Researchers at the universities of York and Portsmouth made the
discovery after carrying out an extensive study of digestive genes
from the gribble species Limnoria quadripunctata.
They found the crustacean’s long digestive tract is dominated by
enzymes that attack cellulose and lignin, the normally indigestible
material in woody plant tissue.
The results of the study were published in the journal Proceedings
of the National Academy of Sciences. The research was made possible
by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
(BBSRC) Sustainable Bioenergy Centre, a £26 million network of
expert groups looking at Bioenergy.
Duncan Eggar, the BBSRC’s Bioenergy Champion, said: “The world
needs to quickly reduce its dependence on fossil fuels and
sustainably produced Bioenergy offers the potential to rapidly
introduce liquid transport fuels into our current energy mix.”
More on Gribbles | Biofuels
As we know, breaking down long-chain cellulose molecules into
individual sugar molecules is problematic on an industrial scale. In
nature, of course, this happens all the time thanks to little
critters like the Limnoria Quadripunctata, or four spotted gribble.
The gribble or sea grub, like numerous other tiny life forms, is
able to consume biomass like wood and turn it into something that
can more easily be transformed into a liquid fuel.
Scientists have been examining these sea grubs and many other
creatures to learn about the enzymes they produce for breaking down
cellulose. The hope is that the enzymes can be economically
synthesized for use in biofuel production. Simon McQueen-Mason of
the University of York in the UK recently came up with the idea of
using these particular gribbles and is leading a research effort
into them that is getting funding from a £27 million Bioenergy
program. British science minister Lord Paul Drayson has established
Bioenergy research centers at six British universities.