Process Biochemistry, Vol.76, 142-154, 2019
Industrial by-products from white-rot fungi production. Part II: Application in anaerobic digestion for enzymatic treatment of hay and straw
By-products of white-rot fungi cultivations are valuable resources for the production of useful enzyme cocktails. These enzymes, which act synergistically to deconstruct lignocellulose polymers, can be recovered and potentially applied in industrial processes. This study investigated the application of processed by-products from Lentinula edodes cultivations in mesophilic and thermophilic anaerobic digestions of hay and straw. Untreated and mechanically treated hay and straw were investigated in biochemical methane potential assays with or without application of enzyme-containing materials. Biomasses, inocula and processed by-product were analyzed chemically and the degradation rate of lignocellulose polymers determined. In mesophilic conditions, all of the fungus-derived enzyme treatments increased the methane yield. A newly generated enzyme preparation significantly enhanced the methane yield of chopped hay and straw, and accelerated the rate of hemicellulose degradation. In general, the degree of cellulose degradation correlated with the methane yield. The novel enzyme preparation contains a larger variety of enzymes than is commonly found in biogas enzyme preparations and is thus an attractive candidate for significant process improvement. Our new investigation further shows that enzyme preparations of L. edodes have a high potential for catalytic activity in lignocellulose-rich systems without manure as co-substrate.
Keywords:Anaerobic digestion;Enzymatic treatment;Lignocellulose conversion;Lentinula edodes;Spent mushroom substrate