IIT Mandi Researchers Find Way To Convert Cellulose Waste Into Useful Chemicals, Know How

A team of researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Mandi uncovered microbial pairs capable of efficiently converting cellulose (a primary component found in agricultural residue and paper waste) into valuable chemicals, biofuels, and carbon suited for a variety of industrial applications.

This sustainable technique can be easily used in the development of microbial SynCONS partners for the effective bioprocessing of complicated polymers to platform chemicals.

The results of this study were presented in a paper co-authored by Dr Swati Sharma, assistant professor in the school of engineering, Dr Shyam Kumar Masakapalli, associate professor in the school of biosciences and bioengineering, and their research scholars, which was published in the journal Bioresource Technology Reports.

Scientists are investigating an innovative technological advancement known as consolidated bioprocessing (CBP) for converting lignocellulosic (Plant dry matter) biomass into beneficial chemicals. This method combines saccharification (converting cellulose into simple sugars) and fermentation (converting simple sugars into alcohol) into a single phase.

Scientists at IIT Mandi examined two synthetic microbial consortia (SynCONS) systems for a cellulose processing method followed by pyrolysis. SynCONS are made up of diverse microorganisms. In this instance, two kinds of microbes are chosen, one for saccharification and the other for fermentation. As fermentation is a heat-releasing process, a mixture of microbes that is stable at high temperatures (thermophilic consortia) is very important.

Pyrolysis, which decomposes organic materials by heating them over 500 degrees Celsius in the absence of oxygen, has been combined with microbial bioprocessing. Pyrolysis turns untouched raw materials and byproducts into usable carbon. It also destroys germs after they have completed their work, eliminating the requirement for safe disposal.

Dr Shyam Kumar Masakapalli of IIT Mandi described the findings in detail, saying, “We analysed multiple microbes to create SynCONS that could convert cellulose to ethanol and lactate. We developed two SynCONS – a fungal-bacterial pair and a thermophilic bacterial-bacterial pair – both of which exhibited effective cellulose degradation with total yields of 9% and 23%, respectively. After pyrolysis of the remnant biomass, we obtained a carbon material with desirable physicochemical properties.”

By combining the thermophilic SynCONS with an additional designed fermentative partner, the researchers were able to achieve even higher ethanol yields (33%) from it. The utilisation of cellulose-acting enzymes (cellulases) in tandem with saccharification resulted in a 51% yield of ethanol.

IIT Mandi’s Dr Swati Sharma remarked, “Once scaled up, this process can sustainably generate bioethanol and other green chemicals in bioreactors. The carbon obtained after pyrolysis can be used in a range of applications such as water filtration and electrodes.”

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