Dr. Anwesha Fernandes from the University of Nottingham in collaboration with the researchers from the University of Bath, The University of Glasgow, Keele University, Historic Scotland, Durham University, the New Zealand School of Forestry and the Institut-Langevin in France are conducting an investigation on how to break down the cellulose found in plants and wood to convert it into biofuels.
Cellulose is very high in glucose content, which is essential for the production of biofuels. However its structure in plants and wood is very complex and hence makes the process of breaking down a time consuming and expensive process.
Half of the cellulose found in wood fibres is organised or crystalline and the remaining half is disorderly. Scientists have also tried to find out the manner, in which the crystalline and disorganised cellulose parts are connected to each other. The present research team has not only studied the method, in which plants create cellulose but also the manner, in which the cellulose so formed defines the shape of the plants and their mechanical strength and the factors, which cause wood to decay slowly. However, in order to better understand the composition of wood, a special kind of wood wherein the cellulose would be uniform was required. This special kind of wood has been now found in the Canadian Sitka spruce wood used in a racing yacht. This wood is believed to have been harvested during World War II for constructing aircrafts. This wood has been compared to spruce wood samples collected from the breeding trial of the Forestry Commission. It was found that spruce wood cellulose is bound more closely through binding enzymes. This finding will help in developing a technology based on enzymes to create biofuels.
Source: http://www.nottingham.ac.uk