Revamping pine needles via green biotechnology and craft innovations for sustainable utilization

Harnessing green biotechnology, pine needle waste biomass was saccharified using microbial enzymes to produce a value-added product. Among previously identified microbial strains, fungal strains produced the maximum amount of tannase as compared to bacterial strains during submerged fermentation (SmF). Among all tested fungal strains in solid state fermentation (SSF) of pine needle powder, Penicillium crustosum AN3 consistently outperforming others fungal strains exhibited approximately 1.25-fold higher tannase activity with 1.13-fold more gallic acid production. and therefore utilized in a biodegradation experiment. During biodegradation studies of pine needles, morphological variations, structural alterations (variation in color, structure deformation), biochemical changes (maximum enzymatic efficiency (32 U g−1) with gallic acid (10.8 mg g−1) production), and moisture content dynamics (12.00 ± 0.60%) were recorded in tannase-treated pine needles after 120 h of incubation. In parallel, craft-based utilization of pine needles reinforced the scientific innovation with indigenous practices to mitigate biowaste accumulation. This dual approach provides an eco-friendly solution for the utilization of forest waste using a green alternative and eco-innovative applications to prevent flaming or dumping off the needles.