A Novel Iraqi Strain of Trichoderma Reesei Shows High Bioethanol Efficiency

Abstract

Bio-ethanol is considered as one of the most prominent renewable energy sources that affects the environment which are produced from the depleting petroleum deposits. Using agricultural residue, bioethanol might be produced, supplying renewable resources at a low cost. Agricultural residues are currently investigated as feedstocks to manufacture sugar, which is then transformed into ethanol. Rice straw (RS) appears out as a potential raw material caused by its large quantity, lignocellulosic nature, and insufficient practical uses. Some of the strains that belong to the Trichoderma reesei genus are used on large scale for the production of cellulase and are essential for different applications such as food and animal feed, textiles, and paper manufacturing, as well as for the production of biofuels. This research focused on producing cellulase using Iraqi strains of Trichoderma reesei in a solid state fermentation methods, utilizing alkali-treated rice straw as a substrate. Before ethanol can be produced through fermentation, saccharification must occur to transform cellulose within rice straw residues into fermentable sugars. After that, fermentation of ethanol was accomplished by Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The highest fungal strain, number five, exhibited a maximum FPase activity of 10.05 FPU/g. The TRS concentration reached a maximum of 0.668 mg/ml accompanied by saccharification efficiency of 1.92% during 3 days at the fifth strain.. Fermentation by ethanol means performed via Saccharomyces cerevisiae at a concentration of approximately 0.146mg/ml in strain5. Assessments of the chemical composition, morphological, structural changes in rice straw that had been exposed to alkaline samples conducted via FTIR, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy