Enzyme conversion of lignocellulosic plant materials for resource recovery in a Controlled Ecological Life Support System.
A large amount of inedible plant material composed primarily of the carbohydrate materials cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin is generated as a result of plant growth in a Controlled Ecological Life-Support System (CELSS).  Cellulose is a linear homopolymer of glucose, which when properly processed will yield glucose, a valuable sugar because it can be added directly to human diets.  Hemicellulose is a heteropolymer of hexoses and pentoses that can be treated to give a sugar mixture that is potentially a valuable fermentable carbon source.  Such fermentations yield desirable supplements to the edible products from hydroponically-grown plants such as rapeseed, soybean, cowpea, or rice.  Lignin is a three-dimensionally branched aromatic polymer, composed of phenyl propane units, which is susceptible to bioconversion through the growth of the white rot fungus, Pluerotus ostreatus.  Processing conditions, that include both a hot water pretreatment and fungal growth and that lead to the facile conversion of plant polysaccharides to glucose, are presented.
Kohlmann
K L
KL
Laboratory of Renewable Resources Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907-1295, USA.
Westgate
P
P
Velayudhan
A
A
Weil
J
J
Sarikaya
A
A
Brewer
M A
MA
Hendrickson
R L
RL
Ladisch
M R
MR
D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D018533:Biomass; D002480:Cellulase; D002482:Cellulose / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D018504:Ecological Systems, Closed; D005658:Fungi; D005947:Glucose / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D006868:Hydrolysis; D008021:Life Support Systems; D008031:Lignin / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D018547:Plant Stems / Q000737:chemistry*; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D018505:Waste Management / Q000379:methods*; D014867:Water
D011134:Polysaccharides; D014867:Water; C007916:hemicellulose; D002482:Cellulose; D008031:Lignin; D002480:Cellulase; D005947:Glucose