Waste to wealth: sustainable approach of alchemizing mushroom SMS into bioenergy

Escalating energy demands and booming environmental waste can be mitigated by generating biofuels from agricultural waste, such as mushroom waste. Studies proclaim the gruesome effects of waste mushroom SMS generated millions of tonnes every year, such as water pollution, respiratory troubles, greenhouse gas emissions, VOCs generation, enhanced salinity, and nutrient imbalance in soil, etc. So, agricultural waste like mushroom SMS has to be decomposed wisely, and thus, it can be valorised into renewable and clean green fuel alternatives instead of the rampant usage of fossil fuels. The present review explores the different pre-treatment methodologies, specifically various pre-treatment methods for mushroom SMS, and techniques to analyze fuel properties, and further gathers the information regarding the myriad of biofuels produced using mushroom SMS, like biogas, bioethanol, bio-coke, biohydrogen, bioelectricity, etc. This review also summarizes the enzymes extracted from the mushroom SMS, their various application, and the mechanism of action on lignin substrates. The circular economy strategy can minimize waste products and their ill effects on the environment. Therefore, the present review encompasses the valorization of mushroom SMS by cultivating mushrooms and serving as an efficient biological pre-treatment for biofuel production and satisfying energy demands. The intertwined approach of mushroom cultivation and biofuel production can be a competent strategy for recycling and valorization of SMS in sustainable biofuel production, so the present study will open new avenues for the possibilities of mushroom SMS as biofuel feedstock and will provide future directions for revolutionizing the mushroom industry.