Summary:
The main ingredient
of wood, cellulose, is one of the most abundant organic compounds on Earth and
a dream source of renewable fuel. Now, bioengineers suggest that it could feed
the hungry as well. In a new study, researchers have found a way to turn
cellulose into starch, the most common carbohydrate in the human diet. Now, for
the first time, it appears there may be a practical way that cellulose could
also feed people, says bioprocess engineer Y.-H. Percival Zhang of the Virginia
Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg. Zhang and his
colleagues focused on starch, which makes up as much as 40% of people's diets.
The idea of turning cellulose into starch is one rooted in the similarities
between the compounds: Cellulose is composed of hundreds to thousands of
molecules of the sugar glucose, and starch compounds are made of glucose as
well, although the sugar is bonded together in different ways. To make the
conversion, the researchers took genes from certain species of bacteria, soil
fungi, and potatoes and then genetically modified Escherichia coli, a
different bacterium and a common lab model, to produce the needed enzymes. One
set of these enzymes break cellulose down into smaller molecules, while the
other set builds these components into starch. Then they mixed this cocktail of
enzymes with cellulose in a glass vessel. So far, the process converts up to
nearly a third of the cellulose into amylose, the team reports online today in
the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. That compound,
which is a white powder when dried, can not only be added to food but can also
be made into transparent, flexible, biodegradable plastics and store hydrogen
for energy applications. Zhang and his colleagues even tried some of the final
product: "No taste in the beginning," Zhang says. "After chewing
for a while, it tasted slightly sweet." The rest of the cellulose is turned
into glucose, which can be fermented into biofuel. "No glucose released
from the cellulose was wasted," Zhang says.
Personal Reaction:
I think this is incredible.
It would be amazing if we could feed the world on wood! The process is still
expensive, but if they learn how to do it in a less expensive way then the cost
will go down. It just takes some time. This is definitely a step in the right
direction to feeding a hungry world. I just worry about the loss of trees. If
that’s even a concern.
Connection:
We had several
presentations about trying to feed a hungry world and this process wasn’t mentioned
and I thought it was very interesting. I’m surprised no one mentioned it in
their presentations but this would be a great way to feed the world!
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