Obtaining Cellulose-Available Raw Materials by Pretreatment of Common Agro-Forestry Residues with Pleurotus spp.

Author: mycolabadmin
2021-09-22
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Summary

This research explores how certain mushroom species can break down agricultural and forestry waste materials in an environmentally friendly way. The fungi produce natural enzymes that can separate useful components like cellulose from tough woody materials, potentially enabling more sustainable industrial processes. Impacts on everyday life: – Could lead to more sustainable and cheaper production of paper products – Enables better recycling of agricultural waste into useful materials – May help reduce dependence on fossil fuels through improved biofuel production – Provides environmentally friendly alternatives to harsh chemical processes – Could lower costs of various wood-based consumer products

Background

Lignocellulose accounts for about 60% of total biomass on Earth and is promising raw material for various industrial processes like bioethanol, paper, feed, food and other value-added products. However, its complex chemical structure makes utilization challenging, with lignin removal being the most difficult phase. Physical and chemical mineralization methods are neither ecologically nor economically justified, leading to increased interest in biological pretreatment systems using fungi.

Objective

The goals were to characterize the profile of ligninolytic enzymes in five Pleurotus species and determine their ability to delignify eight common agro-forestry residues. The study aimed to find the most selective lignin remover that would retain cellulose intact.

Results

Corn stalks were optimal inducers of Mn-dependent peroxidase activity, with peak activity in P. eryngii on wheat straw (3066.92 U/L). P. florida showed highest versatile peroxidase activity on wheat straw (3028.41 U/L). P. ostreatus produced highest laccase activity on apple sawdust (49601.82 U/L). Substrate dry matter loss ranged from 24.83% in wheat straw to 8.83% in plum sawdust. Lignin degradation varied from 51.97% in wheat straw by P. pulmonarius to 4.18% in grapevine sawdust by P. ostreatus.

Conclusion

P. pulmonarius HAI 573 emerged as a highly efficient and selective delignifier, especially for wheat straw, showing promise for its ligninolytic enzyme cocktail in biotechnology pretreatment processes, particularly bioethanol and paper production. The study demonstrated that Pleurotus species and their ligninolytic enzymes could be effectively employed in biotechnological processes to utilize common lignocellulosic wastes.

Published in:Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology,
Study Type:Laboratory Research,
Source: 10.3389/fbioe.2021.720473