Myco-degradation of Lignocellulosic Waste Biomass and Their Applications

Lignocellulosic biomass is the most abundant and renewable biomaterial on our planet. It is crucial to develop alternative energy technologies to create a variety of value-added products from this waste biomass in order to reduce the environmental problems that contribute to greenhouse gas emissions and global warming. For this, myco-degradation is a very promising bioconversion technique in which fungi, such as white-rot basidiomycetes, are used to breakdown complex lignocellulosic structures into simpler compounds useful in a variety of applications. In addition to cellulases and hemicellulases, the hydrolytic enzymes that breakdown polysaccharides, fungi have special oxidative systems that work in conjunction with ligninolytic enzymes to breakdown lignocellulose. Fungi that breakdown lignocellulose improve the quality of the degraded biomass and aid in the production of several by-products that are used to produce biofuels, enzymes, animal feed, fertilizers, and soil amendments. This chapter gives an overview of the myco-degradation mechanisms, the relevant enzymes used, the types of fungi employed in the process, and their uses in various industries. Overall, myco-degradation has the potential to be a cost-effective and sustainable process for recycling lignocellulosic waste biomass into useful products, with significant benefits for both the economy and the environment.