Azam Javanmard; Mahnaz Mazaheri Asadi; Mehran Kiani Rad
Volume 12, Issue 2 , July 2014
Abstract
Lignin and cellulose are the remarkable portions of plants biomass and agricultural wastes. In the wake of population growth and as a consequence of intensive agriculture activities and human food and other materials’ consumption, these compounds are becoming a burgeoning problem to our society ...
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Lignin and cellulose are the remarkable portions of plants biomass and agricultural wastes. In the wake of population growth and as a consequence of intensive agriculture activities and human food and other materials’ consumption, these compounds are becoming a burgeoning problem to our society and environment. However, microorganisms with the capability of biodegradation of such complex materials have not only an important role in prevention of spoilage of the wastes, but also the potential as good resource for production of high value, environmental friendly waste recycling and energy recovery. In this study, an evaluation was conducted using fungus Ganoderma sp. MM1987 growing on decomposing pulp of black tea with oak wood chips. Oak wood chips and black tea pulp are the two substrates which the various ratios of 1:1 to 4:1 of a mixture of them were tested, respectively. The most efficient and rapid formation cap growth was observed in the medium containing a 1:1 ratio. Mushroom growth curve on both substrates with a confidence p value <0.05 was obtained respectively. However, no significant difference was observed for mycelia growth in both substrates where the samples were identical using statistical weight ratio measurements. The 1:1 ratio of substrates can speed up the cap formation in a 44-day time scale. The optimum pHs for the production of fungal enzymes degrading lignin compounds were determined as 3.79 and 3.94 respectively. In conclusion, the results show that black tea residues with oak wood chips are appropriate substrates to be decomposed by Ganoderma sp. MM1987.
