Press Coverage

4/20/10 Zymetis Earth Day Contribution

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (WUSA) -- Who would have thought a tiny bug in a swamp might help solve two of Earth Day's most vexing problems? "It's called Saccarophagus degradens, it means sugar eater or degrader," says Steve Hutcheson of the University of Maryland. In a lab at the university, scientists from a spin-off company called Zymetis are trying to figure out if the bacterium can help reduce the waste going into landfills and reduce our dependence on petroleum. "Plants have evolved over millions of years not to be eaten," says Zymetis CEO Scott Laughlin. "They've evolved in a way that makes them very hard to be digested." What's remarkable about the bug growing in fermenters is it's ability to digest just about anything -- from cornstalks to sawdust and toothpicks -- and leave behind sugars that can be fermented into ethanol and many other fuels.