Biofuel demand is increasing due to the rising price of oil and the desire to be more environmentally friendly. In the pursuit of efficiency and more feasible means of biofuel production, scientists have discovered microbes found in panda poo which are strong enough to break down plant materials.
Traditionally, using corn and soybeans to produce biofuel is relatively easy, quick and cheap to do. Nevertheless these materials are required elsewhere (food for example). Non-food crops such as grass or wood chips is a more viable alternative, however these resources are much harder to break down.
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Scientists carrying out an investigation at Memphis Zoo have been researching a bacteria contained within a panda's digestive system. Their study found that this particular bacterium is able to break down up to 95 percent of plant biomass into simple sugars, seemingly solving the problem of utilising complex non-food crops.
Dr Ashli Brown of Mississippi State University, Co-author of the study said: “Who would have guessed that 'panda poop' might help solve one of the major hurdles to producing biofuels, which is optimising the breakdown of the raw plant materials used to make the fuels?
“We hope our research will help expand the use of biofuels in the future and help cut dependency on foreign oil. We also hope it will reinforce the importance of wildlife conservation.”
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