Termite-Tailored Cellulosic Ethanol

The diverse ecosystems that mark the landscape of Costa Rica, ranging from lowland rain forests to cloud forests, lakes and rivers, are a hot spot for life.

For scientists, this treasure trove of biodiversity represents yet to be discovered insights into medicine, species diversity and for some, the commercialization and development of enzymes for cellulosic ethanol production.

Among the hundreds of thousands of species including various orchids, toucans and tropical fish that flourish in the sultry climate of Costa Rica, one group of insects holds the attention of scientists and technology developers with a stake in the biofuels industry.

Wood-boring termites abound in the lush foliage of this Central American country. But it’s not the termites themselves that people are betting on — it’s the microbes within the guts of these segmented cellulose-feasters that may hold a key to toppling the barriers to commercial-scale cellulosic ethanol production.

“Being a general microbial ecologist, it’s just a rule of thumb that if there’s some job going on you can put your money on it that bacteria are doing that job,” says Phil Hugenholtz, head of the Microbial Ecology Program at the U.S. DOE Joint Genome Institute.

Read the full Ethanol Producer magazine story here.