Biological pretreatment of corn stover by Irpex lacteus for enzymatic hydrolysis

The feasibility of biological pretreatment for subsequent saccharification largely depends upon an effective pretreatment system. A significant enhancement of saccharification was discovered with corn stover pretreated by white rot fungus Irpex lacteus CD2. The highest saccharification ratio reached 66.4%, which was significantly higher than what was reported. Hemicellulose was first destroyed in the process and then lignin. Lignin and hemicellulose were selectively degraded over cellulose, respectively, resulting in increased crystallinity. Enhanced saccharification and the fluctuation in crystallinity together indicated the destruction of the cellulose crystalline structure. Additionally, further studies revealed the disruption of the cell wall and the vital increase of large pores in the pretreated samples, which might be caused by the selective degradation of amorphous components and fungal penetration. Results suggest that I. lacteus has a more efficient degradation system than other reported white rot fungi and can be further explored as an alternative to the existing thermochemical processes.