Screening of highly efficient fungi for the degradation of lignocelluloses by ionic liquids-assisted cellulase

Abstract

A successful conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into biofuel could be achieved through an ionic liquids (ILs)-pretreatment and an enzyme saccharification. In this study, the fungal strains with high cellulase productions were isolated and identified as Penicillium janthinellum FHH1 and P. oxalicum FLY4. A high cellulase production was obtained at pH 4.0 and 30 °C for P. janthinellum FHH1 with corn stalk and beef extract for 9 days and for P. janthinellum FHH1 with corn stalk and peptone for 7 days. A pH range between 4.0 to 6.0 and a temperature range from 55 °C to 60 °C were applicable for cellulase with high activities during hydrolysis. A high NaCl-stability and a relatively high ILs-stability were found for cellulase obtained from P. oxalicum FLY4. High yields of reducing sugar were obtained by enzymatic hydrolysis of the original corn stalk and ILs-pretreated corn stalk. P. oxalicum FLY4 has a great potential for ILs-assisted fungi in the degradation of lignocellulosic biomass into value-added products.

Penicillium janthinellum: A Potential Producer of Natural Products

“…P. janthinellum can utilize diverse nutritional substances as carbon and nitrogen sources, such as corn stalk and rice straw as carbon sources and beef extract and urea as nitrogen sources. Furthermore, it exhibits a wide pH tolerance range, thriving in pH levels ranging from 2 to 9, with optimal growth observed within the pH range of 3.8 to 6 [5]. It has a wide distribution in terrestrial environments, such as ginseng plants in Jilin Province, China [6], the fruits of Melia azedarach in Brazil [7], gold mine tailings in South Africa [8] and the soils of the Truelove Lowland in Canada [9], as well as many marine areas, such as the Bohai Sea [10], South China Sea [11] and Amursky Bay [12], which fragriae with an MIC value of 25 µg/mL [36].…”