title: Two-stage fungal pre-treatment for improved biogas production from sisal leaf decortication residues.
abstract: Sisal leaf decortications residue (SLDR) is amongst the most abundant agro-industrial residues in Tanzania and is a good feedstock for biogas production. Pre-treatment of the residue prior to its anaerobic digestion (AD) was investigated using a two-stage pre-treatment approach with two fungal strains, CCHT-1 and Trichoderma reesei in succession in anaerobic batch bioreactors. AD of the pre-treated residue with CCTH-1 at 10% (wet weight inoculum/SLDR) inoculum concentration incubated for four days followed by incubation for eight days with 25% (wet weight inoculum/SLDR) of T. reesei gave a methane yield of 0.292 +/- 0.04 m(3) CH(4)/kg volatile solids (VS)(added). On reversing the pre-treatment succession of the fungal inocula using the same parameters followed by AD, methane yield decreased by about 55%. Generally, an increment in the range of 30-101% in methane yield in comparison to the un-treated SLDR was obtained. The results confirmed the potential of CCHT-1 followed by Trichoderma reesei fungi pre-treatment prior to AD to achieve significant improvement in biogas production from SLDR.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, University of Nairobi P.O. Box 30197 Nairobi, Kenya.|Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, College of Natural and Applied Sciences, Uvumbuzi road, University of Dar es Salaam P.O. Box 35179, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
authors.forename: Mutemi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Muthangya
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, College of Natural and Applied Sciences, Uvumbuzi road, University of Dar es Salaam P.O. Box 35179, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
authors.forename: Anthony
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Manoni Mshandete
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, College of Natural and Applied Sciences, Uvumbuzi road, University of Dar es Salaam P.O. Box 35179, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
authors.forename: Amelia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kajumulo Kivaisi
mesh_terms: D027882:Agave / Q000378:metabolism*; D056804:Biofuels; D019149:Bioreactors; D005658:Fungi / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D008697:Methane / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000378:metabolism; D014242:Trichoderma / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D056804:Biofuels; D008697:Methane