Panda Poo Yields Key To Cheaper Biofuels

Posted by samzenpus on Wednesday August 31, 2011 @02:51AM from the fuel-panda-makes-fuel dept.

An anonymous reader writes "A new study unveiled at the American Chemical Society points to panda poop as a source of remarkably efficient enzyme-producing bacteria that are able to break down plant materials for cheaper and more efficient biofuel production. Inspired by the giant panda's voracious appetite for bamboo, scientists began to study the fecal matter of giant pandas at the Memphis Zoo. A year of samples indicated that the pandas have a unique ability to convert lignocellulose from plant matter into energy. In fact, gut bacteria of a giant panda can convert 95 percent of the plant's biomass into simple sugars."

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Panda Poo Yields Key To Cheaper Biofuels

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