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b'Puerto Rico is widely known as the "La Isla del Encanto," which\\ntranslated means "The Island of Enchantment." And while its beaches,\\ntropical rain forest, and biolumescent bays are wonders of nature, the\\nisland is not without its problems. From energy needs to economics,\\nPuerto Rico shares many issues facing the rest of the world.
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\\nIn this MicrobeWorld Video episode we talk with Nadathur S. Govind,\\nPh.D., Professor, Marine Sciences Department at the University of\\nPuerto Rico, Mayaguez, and William Rosado, Marine Sciences Department\\nat the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez, about the sustainable\\nbiofuel program they are launching in southwestern Puerto Rico.
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\\nAccording to Govind, the island\'s successful sugarcane industry died in\\nthe 1990\'s. In fact, local rum manufacturers now import their molasses\\nfrom as far away as Malaysia. As a result, approximately 70 percent of\\nthe population in southwestern Puerto Rico is on welfare.
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\\nGovind believes he can rebuild the local economy by harnessing\\nbacterial enzymes extracted from the guts of termites and shipworms\\n(mollusks) found in the mangroves off the coast to break down the\\nlignocellulose in sugarcane and hibiscus. The idea is that if he can\\nbring agricultural production back to his community, he can use the\\ncrop waste to produce ethanol to supplement Puerto Rico\'s demand for\\nfuel. And since the byproduct of ethanol is carbon dioxide, he also\\nplans to use algae to capture the gas and produce biodiesel. The waste\\nthat he has left over can then be returned to the soil as fertilizer or\\ngiven to livestock as feed, completing the cycle.
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\\nFor more information about Govind\'s program please read the article,\\n"Combining Agriculture with Microbial Genomics to Make Fuels," found in\\nthe American Society for Microbiology\'s Microbe magazine.'