Evaluation of Screened Lignin-degrading Fungi for the Biological Pretreatment of Corn Stover

Abstract The biological pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass is a low-cost and eco-friendly method for facilitating enzymatic hydrolysis. In this study, strains with lignin depletion capability were screened using a high-throughput screening method. Sixty-three strains were screened out and Myrot...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Yingjie Su, Xiaoxiao Yu, Yang Sun, Gang Wang, Huan Chen, Guang Chen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Publishing Group 2018-03-01
Series:Scientific Reports
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-23626-6
Description
Summary:Abstract The biological pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass is a low-cost and eco-friendly method for facilitating enzymatic hydrolysis. In this study, strains with lignin depletion capability were screened using a high-throughput screening method. Sixty-three strains were screened out and Myrothecium verrucaria secreted three lignin-degrading enzymes simultaneously during the bio-pretreatment process. The activity levels of laccase, lignin peroxidase and manganese peroxidase were 6.61, 0.78 and 1.31 U g−1 dry biomass. The content of lignin in corn stover decreased by 42.30% after bio-pretreatment, and the conversion rate increased by 123.84% during the subsequent saccharification process in comparison with the untreated corn stover. Furthermore, the effects of bio-pretreatment on the structure of corn stover were presented using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), Brunauer-Emmet-Teller (BET), X-ray diffractometer (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The results showed that M.V. is a promising lignin-degrading fungus. This research demonstrated an efficient pretreatment approach for enhancing the enzymatic saccharification of corn stover.
ISSN:2045-2322