Enzyme makes producing biofuels easier

Poplars and other trees can be bred to break down more easily to make biofuel and other products such as paper, according to scientists at the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center.

Their new study found that zip-lignin, an enzyme that indicates the high degradability of plants, is already in most plants.

The center is a collaboration between the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Michigan State University and other partners. It was established by the U.S. Department of Energy.

The discovery reveals that “nature was already doing what we thought we’d laboriously taught her to do,” said John Ralph, a biochemistry professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.