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Biofuels, livestock benefit from termite research

A University of Wisconsin professor says his termite research might help the biofuels, livestock, and paper industries improve lignin processing.

Cameron Currie

Researcher Cameron Currie says breaking down the woody substrate in plants called lignin is challenging and chemically very difficult, so he was surprised at the initial study findings.  “To find this within an individual termite was surprising, but we also were stunned at how quickly this happens.  This passage of material occurs in hours of time so it appears to be very rapid.”

The termites used in the study passed poplar wood through their digestive system in less than 3 ½ hours.

Currie says if they can replicate the termite’s microbes, they can speed up biofuel processing.   He tells Brownfield the research might also lead to livestock feed additives that would help cows digest forage.  “I think these other animal systems have real promise because it’s possible some of the microbes that might be doing this in termites are not that distantly related to microbes in livestock animals, so you could think of even opportunities to integrate that, genes from these into livestock microbes or produce them separately.”

 

Currie says they’ve studied a type of termite that breaks down lignin along with a fungus, and he will study how this process works in other groups of termites.

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