Select your language

The Pandas, The Solution for Biofuels

Biofuels can be a way to make energy come from renewable resources and reduce dependence on fossil fuels, but at present, producing them from corn and other edible plants is very impractical.

Now, a group of researchers believe they have found a solution – in the panda's droppings.

Microbes from giant panda feces break up super-hardy plant material in grass, corn stalks and wood chips, the researchers reported Monday (Aug. 29) at the American Chemical Society's National Meeting and Expo in Denver. If the technique works on a large scale, inedible plants and plant waste could be used as biofuels instead of edible corn.

"Who would have guessed that 'panda poop' can help solve one of the main obstacles to biofuel production, which is optimizing the decomposition of the plant feedstock used to make the fuel? Study researcher Ashli Brown, a biochemist at Mississippi State University, said in a statement. "We hope our research will help expand the use of biofuels in the future and help we move away from foreign oil."

- Publicidad -

Brown and his colleagues spent a year collecting and analyzing panda feces at the Memphis Zoo.

In the droppings, several types of digestive bacteria similar to the bacteria found in the gut of termites were found. These bacteria help termites break down and digest wood. In pandas, it probably helps with the digestion of woody bamboo shoots.

"Our studies suggest that species of bacteria in the panda's gut may be more efficient at degrading plant materials than termite bacteria and can do so in a way that is better for biofuel manufacturing," Brown said.

Under certain conditions, panda poop bacteria can break down 95 percent of plant biomass into simple sugars, Brown estimated. Powerful enzymes in bacteria accelerate chemical reactions, eliminating the need for high temperatures, strong acids, and the high pressures currently used to produce biofuels. Bacteria would also be a more energy-efficient way to convert materials like millet, corn stalks and wood chips into fuel, Brown said.

The next step for Brown is a complete census of the panda's intestines. She is in search of the most powerful digestive enzymes. Using genetic engineering, scientists could program yeast cells to make these enzymes, he said. Yeast, in turn, could provide large amounts of enzymes for the production of biofuels.

The study was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, the Zoological Society of Memphis, the Mississippi Corn Promotion Board and the Southeast Mississippi State Research Center.

FG_AUTHORS: Val Escobedo

- Publicidad -

See Original.

Building Automation Days 2025 in Bogota marks a milestone for the KNX standard in Latin America

Building Automation Days 2025 in Bogota marks a milestone for the KNX standard in Latin America

Colombia. With more than a hundred attendees and the participation of six high-profile exhibitors, Building Automation Days by KNX LATAM, Colombia edition, established itself as the most relevant...

Design Envelope Technology Hits 750 gpm Fire Pump Segment

Design Envelope Technology Hits 750 gpm Fire Pump Segment

Canada. In response to the growing demands of the fire protection industry, Armstrong Fluid Technology announced the expansion of its Vertical-In-Line pump line with the addition of the new 5x4x10PF...

Greenheck Launches New RV-220 Model and Expands Its Line of Dedicated Outdoor Air Systems

Greenheck Launches New RV-220 Model and Expands Its Line of Dedicated Outdoor Air Systems

United States. Greenheck announced the addition of the RV-220 to its line of dedicated outdoor air systems (DOAS), a solution that responds to the growing demand for equipment with greater outdoor...

Embraco enters the HVAC market with new scroll compressors and aims to become a full-service supplier

Embraco enters the HVAC market with new scroll compressors and aims to become a full-service supplier

Brazil. Embraco announced its official entry into the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) market following the acquisition of the specialized company Xecom, and the launch of a new line...

SIGMAN GROUP and Carrier-VRF reinforce technical training in the HVAC sector in Ecuador

SIGMAN GROUP and Carrier-VRF reinforce technical training in the HVAC sector in Ecuador

Ecuador. An intensive week of technical and commercial training brought together key players in the HVAC sector in Quito and Guayaquil, thanks to the joint initiative of GRUPO SIGMAN and...

AHR Expo Mexico 2025 returns to Monterrey with its most ambitious edition yet

AHR Expo Mexico 2025 returns to Monterrey with its most ambitious edition yet

Mexico. The event returns this year to Monterrey with an unprecedented edition. The exhibition, dedicated to air conditioning, ventilation, heating, refrigeration and filtration solutions, promises...

Fujitsu Launches New AIRSTAGE Multi-Position Air Handler with R-32 Refrigerant

Fujitsu Launches New AIRSTAGE Multi-Position Air Handler with R-32 Refrigerant

United States. Fujitsu General America announced the launch of its new AIRSTAGE Multi-Position Air Handling Unit (MPAHU), designed to provide greater application flexibility by easily...

HVAC project at the Javeriana University, finalist in the CALA Awards 2025 in the HVAC category

HVAC project at the Javeriana University, finalist in the CALA Awards 2025 in the HVAC category

The HVAC system installed in the building of the Faculty of Sciences of the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, in Bogotá, was selected as a finalist in the HVAC category of the CALA Awards 2025. The...

Concord Project in La Lima Free Trade Zone, finalist in the HVAC category of the CALA Awards 2025

Concord Project in La Lima Free Trade Zone, finalist in the HVAC category of the CALA Awards 2025

The HVAC system project carried out by MultiFRIO for the company Concord in the La Lima Free Trade Zone, in Cartago, received the final prize in the HVAC category of the CALA Awards 2025, a...

HVAC project at the Universidad Santiago de Cali, finalist in the CALA AWARDS HVAC category

HVAC project at the Universidad Santiago de Cali, finalist in the CALA AWARDS HVAC category

The air conditioning project of the Auditorium Building and the Technology Center of the new campus of the Santiago de Cali University was chosen as a finalist in the HVAC category of the CALA...

Free Subscription
Remember Me
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
DO YOU NEED A SERVICE OR PRODUCT QUOTE?
LASTEST INTERVIEWS
SITE SPONSORS










LASTEST NEWSLETTER
Ultimo Info-Boletin