The baby elephant Thabo-Umasai (happy warrior) enjoys his birthday cake with his family at the zoo in Dresden, eastern Germany in this Feb.5, 2007 file photo. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)

    BEIJING, April 19 (Xinhuanet) -- A fungus in elephant dung is found to help them break down fibres and wood into biofuel, according to a study in the Netherlands quoted by media reports Thursday.

    Scientists working for Royal Nedalco, the Delft University of Technology and Bird Engineering have found a fungus in elephant dung that helped them produce a yeast which could efficiently ferment wood sugars.

    The discovery is a technical breakthrough, according to business development manager Mark Woldberg from Royal Nedalco, a Dutch alcohol maker.

    Production based on the new method can start at the firm's plant in Sas van Gent in 2009, though it will take longer for most of the new feedstocks to become commercially viable, he said.

    Bioethanol firms currently extract sugars from crops like grains and sugar beet, but some are developing technologies to extract energy from fiber such as wheat bran, straw or wood.

    "For wheat residues we believe we can be cost competitive in quite a short time, I've mentioned five years," Woldberg said, but "converting wood into ethanol will take some more time."

    (Agencies)