The article Fungal Enzymes Could Hold a Secret to Making Renewable Energy from Wood by the University of York discusses a global breakthrough in biology and protecting the environment. Led by Gideon Davies and Paul Walton, scientists from the University of York and Le Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) in France worked together to discover a property in fungal enzymes. This family of enzymes, known as lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs), possess the ability breakdown wood. Wood is particularly difficult to break down because of its carbohydrate molecules called xylans. In the carbon cycle, LPMOs are already a key component by breaking down materials and releasing nutrients into the soil. Davies and Walton performed experiments to investigate the potential properties of LPMOs by iscolating the enzymes from fungi in a lab setting. Throughout the experiment, scientists observed how the LMPOs were able to degrade xylans, leading to the production of biofuel. Within this article contains interesting information about the production of fuel. I learned that biomass is a source of fuel made from organic matter, and that biorefineries are facilities that integrate biomass into fuel. Also, I learned why certain materials, such …show more content…
Of course, it would be difficult to power your car with wood and fungal enzymes in your trunk, but with scientists’ continuing research, we could be closer to a more sustainable world. Also, this study allows us to be more aware of how we use our energy. Many of us take for granted the ability to turn on lights or charge our iPhones in an instant. If we took more caution in using up fuel for unnecessary reasons, we could have a better environment and less worry about running out of resources. The use of fungal enzymes to break down wood could allow us to protect our environment by using less harmful fuel