Marine tunicate shows promise as a cellulose feedstock

摘要

A study conducted by scientists at the University of Bergen and Uni Research (Bergen, Norway) has revealed that the marine filter feeder, Ascidiacea, a class of tunicate, may have great potential as a renewable source of biofuel. Ascidians are enveloped by a polysaccharide-containing mantle, which may act as a source of cellulose in biofuel production. Key advantages of this alternative source are that, first, the cellulose present in the ascidians has a low crystallinity relative to that found in other plant-based sources, and second, the sugar does not occur alongside lignin.