Scientists at Diversa Corp. have discovered a rich new source of enzymes that can convert agricultural biomass to clean-burning ethanol fuel—in the digestive tracts of termites. This discovery could be key to making the economic production of cellulosic ethanol a viable and cost-effective energy alternative.

The U.S. has traditionally focused on the production of biofuels through the conversion of cornstarch into fuel ethanol. However, it's been estimated that in 2006, the U.S. will only produce between 5 billion and 15 billion gallons of ethanol from corn, which will represent less than 10% of total transportation fuels at that time.

Cellulosic biomass has largely remained untapped natural resource to produce alternative fuel. By dissected thousands of individual termite intestines, Diversa scientists were able to isolate the cellulose-degrading enzymes from bacteria in termite intestines. By reenacting this natural process, the company created a cocktail of high-performance enzymes for industrial ethanol production. Though still in the early stages of this work, the initial results are promising.

Via Renewable Energy Access.

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