Breaking Down Cellulose (IMAGE) Iowa State University Caption John Verkade, left, a University Professor of chemistry at Iowa State, and Reed Oshel, a graduate student in biorenewable resources and technology, are studying a chemical compound that breaks down plant fiber. That's something that could be very useful to the ethanol industry. Credit Photo by Bob Elbert/Iowa State University Usage Restrictions None License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.