Biofuels: Fueling the Future

In our society, gasoline is becoming one of the most used and most expensive substances. Gasoline prices can rise dramatically, and we are at their mercy. However, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. A new concept, biofuels, have scientists working to find an alternative source of fuel. What are biofuels? Plant fiber contains a lot of sugar, but it is locked away securely. Scientists use enzymes such as E. Coli to break down these fibers and consume the sugars. (The molecule combined by an enzyme is called the substrate.) When this occurs,  substances such as ethanol are released, and these can be used as fuel. This idea is very important in today's world so that we can eliminate our dependence on oil. In this lab, we will combine cellulose, a plant fiber, with an enzyme called cellobiase that breaks down cellulose. Cellulose is comprised of two glucose molecules bonded together. When the enzyme breaks this bond, two individual glucose molecules are released and can be used as fuel. However, we are not able to see how fast this reaction is occurring. In order to observe the reaction's speed, we will add a mixture of cellobiase and an alternative substrate into five separate containers. This mixture creates glucose and P-nitrophenol. To these containers we will add stop solution at different time intervals. The stop solution will kill the cellobiase, essentially taking a snapshot of the reaction. The stop solution will also turn the P-nitrophenol yellow. By adding this at different time intervals, we can observe the differences between each container. Depending on the intensity of the yellow coloration, we know how far along the reaction is. On the next day, we will grind up mushrooms, creating a fungus extract, to add to the solution. Fungus contains many enzymes so adding this will speed up the reaction. We will compare different types of fungi to determine which type speeds the reaction up the most.