Fungal pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass

Fungal pretreatment of non-sterile miscanthus for enhanced enzymatic hydrolysis

Miscanthus was pretreated with the fungus Ceriporiopsis subvermispora under non-sterile conditions, using sterile miscanthus that had been previously colonized with the fungus as the inoculum. Inoculum ratios equal to or greater than 30% yielded a successful pretreatment, enhancing the enzymatic digestibility of miscanthus by 3- to 4-fold over that of raw miscanthus, which was comparable with the fungal pretreatment under sterile conditions. This enhanced digestibility was linearly correlated with lignin degradation. Although cellulose loss of up to 13% was observed for the successful non-sterile pretreatments, the final glucose yield was 3-4 times higher than that of raw miscanthus and comparable to that of the sterile pretreated miscanthus. A time course study showed that maximum glucose yield can be achieved with a pretreatment time of 21 days.

Combination of ensiling and fungal delignification as effective wheat straw pretreatment

BACKGROUND

Utilization of lignocellulosic feedstocks for bioenergy production in developing countries demands competitive but low-tech conversion routes. White-rot fungi (WRF) inoculation and ensiling are two methods previously investigated for low-tech pretreatment of biomasses such as wheat straw (WS). This study was undertaken to assess whether a combination of forced ensiling with Lactobacillus buchneri and WRF treatment using a low cellulase fungus, Ceriporiopsis subvermispora, could produce a relevant pretreatment effect on WS for bioethanol and biogas production.

RESULTS

A combination of the ensiling and WRF treatment induced efficient pretreatment of WS by reducing lignin content and increasing enzymatic sugar release, thereby enabling an ethanol yield of 66 % of the theoretical max on the WS glucan, i.e. a yield comparable to yields obtained with high-tech, large-scale pretreatment methods. The pretreatment effect was reached with only a minor total solids loss of 5 % by weight mainly caused by the fungal metabolism. The combination of the biopretreatments did not improve the methane potential of the WS, but improved the initial biogas production rate significantly.

CONCLUSION

The combination of the L. buchneri ensiling and C. subvermispora WRF treatment provided a significant improvement in the pretreatment effect on WS. This combined biopretreatment produced particularly promising results for ethanol production.

Pretreatment and conversion of lignocellulose biomass into valuable chemicals

Lignocellulose biomass can be utilized in many sectors of industry such as energy, chemical, and transportation. However, pretreatment is needed to break down the intricate bonding before converting it into wanted product.

Investigating the degradation process of kraft lignin by β-proteobacterium, Pandoraea sp. ISTKB

The present study investigates the kraft lignin (KL) degrading potential of novel alkalotolerant Pandoraea sp. ISTKB utilizing KL as sole carbon source. The results displayed 50.2 % reduction in chemical oxygen demand (COD) and 41.1 % decolorization after bacterial treatment. The maximum lignin peroxidase (LiP) and manganese peroxidase (MnP) activity detected was 2.73 and 4.33 U ml(-1), respectively, on day 3. The maximum extracellular and intracellular laccase activities observed were 1.32 U ml(-1) on day 5 and 4.53 U ml(-1) on day 4, respectively. The decolorization and degradation was maximum on day 2. Further, it registered an increase with the production of extracellular laccase. This unusual trend of decolorization and degradation was studied using various aromatic compounds and dyes. SEM and FTIR results indicated significant change in surface morphology and functional group composition during the course of degradation. Gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) analysis confirmed KL degradation by emergence of new peaks and the identification of low molecular weight aromatic intermediates in treated sample. The degradation of KL progressed through the generation of phenolic intermediates. The identified intermediates implied the degradation of hydroxyphenyl, ferulic acid, guaiacyl, syringyl, phenylcoumarane, and pinoresinol components commonly found in lignin. The degradation, decolorization, and GC-MS analysis indicated potential application of the isolate Pandoraea sp. ISTKB in treatment of lignin-containing pollutants and KL valorization.

An overview of key pretreatment processes for biological conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to bioethanol

Second-generation bioethanol can be produced from various lignocellulosic biomasses such as wood, agricultural or forest residues. Lignocellulosic biomass is inexpensive, renewable and abundant source for bioethanol production. The conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to bioethanol could be a promising technology though the process has several challenges and limitations such as biomass transport and handling, and efficient pretreatment methods for total delignification of lignocellulosics. Proper pretreatment methods can increase concentrations of fermentable sugars after enzymatic saccharification, thereby improving the efficiency of the whole process. Conversion of glucose as well as xylose to bioethanol needs some new fermentation technologies to make the whole process inexpensive. The main goal of pretreatment is to increase the digestibility of maximum available sugars. Each pretreatment process has a specific effect on the cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin fraction; thus, different pretreatment methods and conditions should be chosen according to the process configuration selected for the subsequent hydrolysis and fermentation steps. The cost of ethanol production from lignocellulosic biomass in current technologies is relatively high. Additionally, low yield still remains as one of the main challenges. This paper reviews the various technologies for maximum conversion of cellulose and hemicelluloses fraction to ethanol, and it point outs several key properties that should be targeted for low cost and maximum yield.

Bioprocess-Technological Potential of Irradiation-Based Fungal Pretreatment Platform Relevant to Lignocellulolytic Biocascade

Lignocellulose-decaying fungal bioplatforms available are not commercially accessible and are limited to short-term use. In this study, those limitations were overcome by developing a platform using water-soaked rice straw (RS) biodegraded by irradiation-based fungal pretreatment (IBFP). This eco-friendly system increased the ability of RS to biodegrade and ferment without the generation of inhibitory compounds. When processed RS (i.e., with a water-soaking ratio of 81 % and irradiation dose of 80 kGy at 1 MeV and 0.12 mA) was pretreated with Dichomitus squalens for 9 days, the sugar yield was 58.5 % of the theoretical maximum. This sugar yield was comparable to that obtained with unirradiated RS for 15 days, which was 57.9 %. Furthermore, the ethanol concentration of 9.7 g L(-1) provided a yield of 58.1 %; the theoretical maximum and productivity at 0.40 g L(-1) h(-1) were determined after simultaneous saccharification and fermentation for 24 h. In addition, microscopic images revealed that IBFP induced predominant ultrastructural modifications to the surface of cell wall fibers. The peroxidative profiles for different biosystems were analyzed in order to understand substrate-specific biocascades based on the differences in biomass components. The activation level of core lignocellulolysis-related factors was analogous under the optimized conditions of each system.

Solid-state fermentation in multi-well plates to assess pretreatment efficiency of rot fungi on lignocellulose biomass

The potential of fungal pretreatment to improve fermentable sugar yields from wheat straw or Miscanthus was investigated. We assessed 63 fungal strains including 53 white-rot and 10 brown-rot fungi belonging to the Basidiomycota phylum in an original 12 day small-scale solid-state fermentation (SSF) experiment using 24-well plates. This method offers the convenience of one-pot processing of samples from SSF to enzymatic hydrolysis. The comparison of the lignocellulolytic activity profiles of white-rot fungi and brown-rot fungi showed different behaviours. The hierarchical clustering according to glucose and reducing sugars released from each biomass after 72 h enzymatic hydrolysis splits the set of fungal strains into three groups: efficient, no-effect and detrimental-effect species. The efficient group contained 17 species belonging to seven white-rot genera and one brown-rot genus. The yield of sugar released increased significantly (max. 62%) compared with non-inoculated controls for both substrates.

Detoxification of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural by the Pleurotus ostreatus lignolytic enzymes aryl alcohol oxidase and dehydrogenase

BACKGROUND

Current large-scale pretreatment processes for lignocellulosic biomass are generally accompanied by the formation of toxic degradation products, such as 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), which inhibit cellulolytic enzymes and fermentation by ethanol-producing yeast. Overcoming these toxic effects is a key technical barrier in the biochemical conversion of plant biomass to biofuels. Pleurotus ostreatus, a white-rot fungus, can efficiently degrade lignocellulose. In this study, we analyzed the ability of P. ostreatus to tolerate and metabolize HMF and investigated relevant molecular pathways associated with these processes.

RESULTS

P. ostreatus was capable to metabolize and detoxify HMF 30 mM within 48 h, converting it into 2,5-bis-hydroxymethylfuran (HMF alcohol) and 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA), which subsequently allowed the normal yeast growth in amended media. We show that two enzymes groups, which belong to the ligninolytic system, aryl-alcohol oxidases and a dehydrogenase, are involved in this process. HMF induced the transcription and production of these enzymes and was accompanied by an increase in activity levels. We also demonstrate that following the induction of these enzymes, HMF could be metabolized in vitro.

CONCLUSIONS

Aryl-alcohol oxidase and dehydrogenase gene family members are part of the transcriptional and subsequent translational response to HMF exposure in P. ostreatus and are involved in HMF transformation. Based on our data, we propose that these enzymatic capacities of P. ostreatus either be integrated in biomass pretreatment or the genes encoding these enzymes may function to detoxify HMF via heterologous expression in fermentation organisms, such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Increased delignification by white rot fungi after pressure refining Miscanthus

Pressure refining, a pulp making process to separate fibres of lignocellulosic materials, deposits lignin granules on the surface of the fibres that could enable increased access to lignin degrading enzymes. Three different white rot fungi were grown on pressure refined (at 6 bar and 8 bar) and milled Miscanthus. Growth after 28 days showed highest biomass losses on milled Miscanthus compared to pressure refined Miscanthus. Ceriporiopsis subvermispora caused a significantly higher proportion of lignin removal when grown on 6 bar pressure refined Miscanthus compared to growth on 8 bar pressure refined Miscanthus and milled Miscanthus. RM22b followed a similar trend but Phlebiopsis gigantea SPLog6 did not. Conversely, C. subvermispora growing on pressure refined Miscanthus revealed that the proportion of cellulose increased. These results show that two of the three white rot fungi used in this study showed higher delignification on pressure refined Miscanthus than milled Miscanthus.

Laccase produced by a thermotolerant strain of Trametes trogii LK13

Thermophilic and thermotolerant micro-organisms strains have served as the natural source of industrially relevant and thermostable enzymes. Although some strains of the Trametes genus are thermotolerant, few Trametes strains were studied at the temperature above 30 °C until now. In this paper, the laccase activity and the mycelial growth rate for Trametes trogii LK13 are superior at 37 °C. Thermostability and organic cosolvent tolerance assays of the laccase produced at 37 °C indicated that the enzyme possessed fair thermostability with 50% of its initial activity at 80 °C for 5 min, and could remain 50% enzyme activity treated with organic cosolvent at the concentration range of 25%–50% (v/v). Furthermore, the test on production of laccase and lignocellulolytic enzymes showed the crude enzymes possessed high laccase level (1000 U g ⁻¹ ) along with low cellulose (2 U g ⁻¹ ) and xylanase (140 U g ⁻¹ ) activity. Thus, T. trogii LK13 is a potential strain to be applied in many biotechnological processes.

Consolidated bioprocessing performance of Thermoanaerobacterium thermosaccharolyticum M18 on fungal pretreated cornstalk for enhanced hydrogen production

BACKGROUND

Biological hydrogen production from lignocellulosic biomass shows great potential as a promising alternative to conventional hydrogen production methods, such as electrolysis of water and coal gasification. Currently, most researches on biohydrogen production from lignocellulose concentrate on consolidated bioprocessing, which has the advantages of simpler operation and lower cost over processes featuring dedicated cellulase production. However, the recalcitrance of the lignin structure induces a low cellulase activity, making the carbohydrates in the hetero-matrix more unapproachable. Pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass is consequently an extremely important step in the commercialization of biohydrogen, and for massive realization of lignocellulosic biomass as alternative fuel feedstock. Thus, development of a pretreatment method which is cost efficient, environmentally benign, and highly efficient for enhanced consolidated bioprocessing of lignocellulosic biomass to hydrogen is essential.

RESULTS

In this research, fungal pretreatment was adopted for enhanced hydrogen production by consolidated bioprocessing performance. To confirm the fungal pretreatment efficiency, two typical thermochemical pretreatments were also compared side by side. Results showed that the fungal pretreatment was superior to the other pretreatments in terms of high lignin reduction of up to 35.3% with least holocellulose loss (the value was only 9.5%). Microscopic structure observation combined with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis further demonstrated that the lignin and crystallinity of lignocellulose were decreased with better holocellulose reservation. Upon fungal pretreatment, the hydrogen yield and hydrogen production rate were 6.8 mmol H2 g(-1) pretreated substrate and 0.89 mmol L(-1) h(-1), respectively, which were 2.9 and 4 times higher than the values obtained for the untreated sample.

CONCLUSIONS

Results revealed that although all pretreatments could contribute to the enhancement of hydrogen production from cornstalk, fungal pretreatment proved to be the optimal method. It is apparent that besides high hydrogen production efficiency, fungal pretreatment also offered several advantages over other pretreatments such as being environmentally benign and energy efficient. This pretreatment method thus has great potential for application in consolidated bioprocessing performance of hydrogen production.

Process evaluation of electron beam irradiation-based biodegradation relevant to lignocellulose bioconversion

In order to solve the inefficient problem of long-term biodegradation by wood-decaying fungus, rice straw (RS) was depolymerized using electron beam irradiation-based biodegradation (EBIBB). This environment-friendly program without the use of inhibitory byproducts significantly increased the digestibility and fermentability of RS. Specifically, when irradiated RS was simultaneously biodegraded by Phanerochaete chrysosporium for 10 days, the sugar yield was 65.5% of the theoretical maximum. This value was on the same level as the 64.8% (for 15 days) measured from unirradiated RS. In case of fermentability, similarly, EBIBB program had an effect on time/energy saving. Furthermore, the transcriptomic profiles under different biosystem were analyzed in order to verify possible substrate-specific regulation based on change of lignocellulosic components. Interestingly, the overall correlation based on the bias (upregulation or downregulation) was reasonably analogous, especially lignocellulolysis-related genes.

Interactions between fungal growth, substrate utilization, and enzyme production during solid substrate cultivation of Phanerochaete chrysosporium on cotton stalks

Fungal pretreatment, using lignin-degrading microorganisms to improve lignocellulosic feedstocks with minimal energy input, is a potential alternative to physiochemical pretreatment methods. Identifying the kinetics for fungal pretreatment during solid substrate cultivation is needed to help establish the processing conditions for effective scale up of this technology. In this study, a set of mathematical models were proposed for describing the interactions between holocellulose consumption, lignin degradation, cellulase, ligninolytic enzyme, and the growth of Phanerochaete chrysosporium during a 14 day fungal pretreatment process. Model parameters were estimated and validated by the System Biology Toolbox in MatLab. Developed models provided sufficiently accurate predictions for fungal growth (R (2) = 0.97), holocellulose consumption (R (2) = 0.97), lignin degradation (R (2) = 0.93) and ligninolytic enzyme production (R (2) = 0.92), and fair prediction for cellulase production (R (2) = 0.61). The models provide valuable information for understanding the interactive mechanisms in biological systems as well as for fungal pretreatment process scale up and improvement.

Bamboo: a new source of carbohydrate for biorefinery

Bamboo is perennial woody grass, which distributed widely in the world and belonged to the Gramineae family and Bambuseae subfamily. It may be consider as a candidate lignocellulosic substrate for bio-ethanol production for its environmental benefits and higher annual biomass yield. The conversion of bamboo into bio-ethanol, bio-methane, natural food, flavonoids, and functional xylo-oligosaccharides production were reviewed in this paper. Future prospects for research include pretreatment, enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation will also be performed to improve the whole process of ethanol production more economical. And revealing the molecular regulation mechanism of the fast growth of bamboo will provide chance for improving bamboo or other energy plants biomass yield through genetic engineering.

Current challenges in commercially producing biofuels from lignocellulosic biomass

Biofuels that are produced from biobased materials are a good alternative to petroleum based fuels. They offer several benefits to society and the environment. Producing second generation biofuels is even more challenging than producing first generation biofuels due the complexity of the biomass and issues related to producing, harvesting, and transporting less dense biomass to centralized biorefineries. In addition to this logistic challenge, other challenges with respect to processing steps in converting biomass to liquid transportation fuel like pretreatment, hydrolysis, microbial fermentation, and fuel separation still exist and are discussed in this review. The possible coproducts that could be produced in the biorefinery and their importance to reduce the processing cost of biofuel are discussed. About $1 billion was spent in the year 2012 by the government agencies in US to meet the mandate to replace 30% existing liquid transportation fuels by 2022 which is 36 billion gallons/year. Other countries in the world have set their own targets to replace petroleum fuel by biofuels. Because of the challenges listed in this review and lack of government policies to create the demand for biofuels, it may take more time for the lignocellulosic biofuels to hit the market place than previously projected.

Fungal pretreatment of unsterilized yard trimmings for enhanced methane production by solid-state anaerobic digestion

Fungal pretreatment is an environmentally friendly process that has been widely studied to improve the digestibility of lignocellulosic biomass. However, sterilization of feedstocks, a costly process, is generally required prior to the fungal pretreatment. In this study, fungal pretreatment of unsterilized yard trimmings using yard trimmings pre-colonized with Ceriporiopsis subvermispora as an inoculum was investigated. Degradation of lignin, cellulose, hemicellulose, and dry matter in yard trimmings during 30 days of fungal pretreatment using different inoculum/substrate ratios (1:19, 1:9 and 1:4) was 14.8-20.2%, 8.1-15.4%, 20.7-27.8%, and 9.8-16.2%, respectively. Methane yields of 34.9-44.6L/kg volatile solids were achieved during solid-state anaerobic digestion (SS-AD) of the pretreated yard trimmings, which were comparable to those obtained by using the traditional method requiring feedstock sterilization. The technology developed in this study can save about 501-789 kJ/kg of dry yard trimmings processed, which is about half of the total biogas energy produced by SS-AD.

Fungal pretreatment of yard trimmings for enhancement of methane yield from solid-state anaerobic digestion

Yard trimmings were pretreated by Ceriporiopsis subvermispora, a white-rot fungus that selectively degrades lignin, to enhance methane production via solid-state anaerobic digestion. Effects of moisture content (MC), at 45%, 60%, and 75%, on the degradation of holocellulose and lignin in the fungal pretreatment step and on methane production in the digestion step were studied with comparison to the control group (autoclaved without inoculation) and raw yard trimmings. It was found that C. subvermispora had a high lignin degradation of 20.9% but limited cellulose degradation of 7.4% at 60% MC. Consequently, samples pretreated at 60% MC achieved the highest methane yield of 44.6L/kg volatile solid (VS) in the digestion step, which was 106% and 154% higher than the control group (21.6L/kg VS) and the raw yard trimmings (17.6L/kg VS), respectively. The increase in methane production was probably caused by the degradation of lignin during the pretreatment.

Inactivation of a Pleurotus ostreatus versatile peroxidase-encoding gene (mnp2) results in reduced lignin degradation

Lignin biodegradation by white-rot fungi is pivotal to the earth's carbon cycle. Manganese peroxidases (MnPs), the most common extracellular ligninolytic peroxidases produced by white-rot fungi, are considered key in ligninolysis. Pleurotus ostreatus, the oyster mushroom, is a preferential lignin degrader occupying niches rich in lignocellulose such as decaying trees. Here, we provide direct, genetically based proof for the functional significance of MnP to P. ostreatus ligninolytic capacity under conditions mimicking its natural habitat. When grown on a natural lignocellulosic substrate of cotton stalks under solid-state culture conditions, gene and isoenzyme expression profiles of its short MnP and versatile peroxidase (VP)-encoding gene family revealed that mnp2 was predominately expressed. mnp2, encoding the versatile short MnP isoenzyme 2 was disrupted. Inactivation of mnp2 resulted in three interrelated phenotypes, relative to the wild-type strain: (i) reduction of 14% and 36% in lignin mineralization of stalks non-amended and amended with Mn(2+), respectively; (ii) marked reduction of the bioconverted lignocellulose sensitivity to subsequent bacterial hydrolyses; and (iii) decrease in fungal respiration rate. These results may serve as the basis to clarify the roles of the various types of fungal MnPs and VPs in their contribution to white-rot decay of wood and lignocellulose in various ecosystems.

An overview of key pretreatment processes employed for bioconversion of lignocellulosic biomass into biofuels and value added products

The hunt for alternative sources of energy generation that are inexpensive, ecofriendly, renewable and can replace fossil fuels is on, owing to the increasing demands of energy. One approach in this direction is the conversion of plant residues into biofuels wherein lignocellulose, which forms the structural framework of plants consisting of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin, is first broken down and hydrolyzed into simple fermentable sugars, which upon fermentation form biofuels such as ethanol. A major bottleneck is to disarray lignin which is present as a protective covering and makes cellulose and hemicellulose recalcitrant to enzymatic hydrolysis. A number of biomass deconstruction or pretreatment processes (physical, chemical and biological) have been used to break the structural framework of plants and depolymerize lignin. This review surveys and discusses some major pretreatment processes pertaining to the pretreatment of plant biomass, which are used for the production of biofuels and other value added products. The emphasis is given on processes that provide maximum amount of sugars, which are subsequently used for the production of biofuels.

Investigating lignin and hemicellulose in white rot fungus-pretreated wood that affect enzymatic hydrolysis

Selective delignification and hemicellulose removal were performed on white rot fungus-pretreated residues to investigate the effects of lignin and hemicellulose removal on enzymatic hydrolysis. 43.66-77% of lignin with small part of hemicellulose were degraded by chlorite treatment, while 79.97-95.09% of hemicellulose with little lignin were degraded by dilute acid treatment, indicating that cross effect between lignin and hemicellulose was minimized. In subsequent enzymatic digestion, regardless of the cellulase loading, residues from series-grade delignification released more glucose and xylose than that from hemicellulose removal, suggesting that lignin rather than hemicellulose in fungi-pretreated residues played a dominant role in hindering enzymatic hydrolysis. Based on the fundamental mechanisms of acidic/alkaline pretreatments in literature, it is proposed that fungal pretreatment prefers to integrate with alkaline pretreatment rather than acidic pretreatment to maximize the synergy. This indication would be helpful to optimize and renovate the integrated pretreatment.

Cloning and characterization of a thermostable endo-arabinanase from Phanerochaete chrysosporium and its synergistic action with endo-xylanase

Putative arabinanase (PcARA) was cloned from cDNA of Phanerochaete chrysosporium. The gene sequencing indicated that PcARA consisted of 939 nucleotides that encodes for 312 amino acid arabinanase-polypeptide chain, including a signal peptide of 19 amino acids. Three-dimensional homology indicated that this enzyme is a five-bladed β-propeller, belonging to glycosidase family 43 and its secondary structure is consisted of 24 β-sheets. The PcARA-cDNA was expressed in Pichia pastoris using pPICZαC. SDS-PAGE of purified arabinanase showed a single band of 33 kDa that is very close to theoretical molecular mass of 33.9 kDa calculated by its amino acid content. Recombinant arabinanase (rPcARA) exhibited maximum activity at pH and temperature of 5.0 and 60 °C, respectively. End-product analysis of debranched arabinan hydrolysis by thin-layer chromatography indicated that rPcARA acted as endo-type. The synergistic action of rPcARA with recombinant xylanase resulted in 72 and 9.3 % release of total soluble sugar of arabinoxylan and NaOH-pretreated barley straw, respectively.