Fungus discovery to transform ethanol and hygiene industries?
Researchers from Borås University College in Sweden have discovered a fungus that converts waste into ethanol extremely effectively. If this were not already enough to attract the interest of those concerned about the environment, the residual biomass can be used to create a super-absorbent material that can be composted, and could replace bandages, nappies and sanitary towels, which are not biodegradable. Mohammad Taherzadeh and his team found that the fungus saprophyte can turn waste to ethanol, and does so more efficiently than baker's yeast, which is used today. The ability to convert sulfite lye, a by-product from the production of paper and viscose pulp, for the production of ethanol is very valuable, in both economic and environmental terms. 'This is truly exciting,' said Dr Taherzadeh. 'Zygomycetes [the fungus species] in ethanol production represent an unknown area. We are the only scientists in the world to have presented them as ethanol-producing fungi, but we realise that the potential is huge.' And there is more good news for the environment: the team has found that the biomass left over after the production of ethanol can be used to create a cell-wall material that is super-absorbent and antibacterial. Moreover, it is a biological material that can be composted and recycled. The discovery is so exciting that the team was recently awarded SEK 800,000 (over €86,000) by Sweden's Knowledge Foundation to pursue the research further. Products such as nappies, sanitary towels and bandages are currently manufactured using polyacrylate, which is non-biodegradable and has to be burned. Incineration releases carbon dioxide, which contributes to global warming. If polyacrylate is replaced with this biological super-absorbent, nappies will not need to be incinerated, and instead can be composted, retted and converted into biogas. The new super-absorbent also has other properties that make it interesting. 'Our cell-wall material absorbs about 10 times its weight in liquid. It can also kill bacteria and fungi, which means that a diaper would not irritate the skin and would last longer before any unpleasant odours arise. We have experimented with adding e-coli bacteria as well, an aggressive sort of bacteria, and the cell-wall material manages to neutralise them,' says Dr Taherzadeh. Tests with other bacteria types, including Klebsiella pneumonia and Staphylococcus aureus, as well as the fungus Candida albicans, were also successful. The research on ethanol production will continue, but the focus is now on further developing the cell-wall material. 'Since this is an unknown field, a great deal of work will be needed for us to fully understand the potential of this material,' says Dr Taherzadeh.
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