Optimizing method for enhancing the Bioconversion of Wheat Straw and Spent Mushroom Substrate for waste utilization & ethanol production

With growing pressure on existing fuel resources and an increasing demand for sustainable resources, research has intensified to optimize lignocellulosic biomass for bioethanol production. This research examines the relative efficiency of Wheat Straw (WS) and Spent Mushroom Substrate (SMS) as possible feedstocks for improved bioethanol production. A pretreatment technique utilizing hydrogen peroxide was optimized to enhance lignin breakdown, promoting increased reducing sugar yield. The pretreatment process was aimed at enhancing enzymatic hydrolysis by breaking down the lignin, thereby improving the accessibility of cellulose for saccharification. The results demonstrated that hydrogen peroxide effectively degraded lignin in both substrates, with SMS showing a more significant reduction in lignin content compared to WS. Following pretreatment, both substrates underwent saccharification, with SMS again yielding a higher amount of reducing sugars than WS. These findings highlight the importance of this pretreatment method in enhancing lignin degradation, improving sugar release, and making SMS a more suitable and sustainable feedstock for bioethanol production compared to WS.