An enzyme from a deep-sea shrimp shows promise for use in biofuel production

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An enzyme from a deep-sea shrimp shows promise for use in biofuel production. Author: Lan Jianzhong. Source: Xinhua Net. Update date: 2012-08-17. Japan’s Marine Research and Development Agency announced on the 16th that its researchers had discovered an enzyme in a deep-sea shrimp capable of efficiently breaking down materials such as sawdust and paper. If this enzyme can be utilized, dead wood and waste paper can all serve as raw materials for producing bioethanol. Researchers reported in the latest issue of the online American scientific journal PLOS ONE that they collected a large number of short-rostrated amphipods from the deepest parts of the Mariana Trench in 2009. To study the feeding habits of this shrimp, researchers analyzed the digestive enzymes in its body and detected 4 types of enzymes capable of breaking down plants. These shrimps can feed on plant debris that has settled on the seabed, drawing nutrients from it. Researchers discovered that one of these enzymes is previously unknown; it is capable of breaking down cellulose in plants into sugars, which are the raw material used for producing ethanol. Through experiments, the researchers confirmed that when sawdust and paper are exposed to this enzyme, they can be broken down into sugars at room temperature. Bioethanol is regarded as the fuel of the next generation; it is currently produced mainly from crops such as corn, but this consumes large amounts of food and affects food supplies. Cellulose contained in dead wood or wood waste is viewed with great hope as it does not consume food, but it is very difficult to break it down.